Xander

@RLeighTurner @Colcestrian @FCDOGovUK Updated signage, still not encouraging...

@Colcestrian @FCDOGovUK Yes! Here is the missing picture to complete the set. Not v encouraging...

#leighinmotion #287: who - outside @FCDOGovUK - can name this Overseas Territory? It’s one of my favourites for its extraordinary landscape, hard-to-swim beaches and poignant cemeteries. #hitchhikersguidetodiplomacy

Well that's all folks. 2 years working with fab colleagues & fantastic islanders and enjoying many amazing experiences on Ascension Island. It's been a blast and I have not painted the Lizard on the way out - those who know, know. For now, I'm signing off from Ascension.

#Ascension Sea Rescue team in Georgetown. 'Volunteered' to join a rescue at sea training exercise. Marvellous teamwork providing a vital service to the island. #SouthAtlantic @ascension_gov @AscensionAdm @GO_ASHT @British_OTs @FCDOGovUK

#OTD in 1984 Ascension Island issues a First Day Cover of stamps featuring a commemoration of the 150th anniversary of St Helena becoming a British Colony.

Merry Christmas from Ascension Island! Have some dodgily phone scoped birds from the past couple of weeks. White Terns, Masked Boobies, Ascension Island Frigatebird and Red Footed Booby.

Ascension Island once again provided essential tracking for a critical space launch. Tracked from ~13 minutes into the flight with the 🚀 travelling ~180km above the island 🇦🇨

#MerryChristmas from all of us here at Ascension Conservation and Fisheries! We will bring you lots more Asi wildlife updates in the New Year 😊

.@AscensionAdm & Marina hosted the annual Ascension Island Christmas Carols Spectacular, where the community came together to festively celebrate & give thanks following another eventful year. From everyone on Ascension: We wish you all a safe Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year!

🇦🇨 @ascension_gov has released the Public & Government Holidays for 2022 including an extra Public Holiday for HM The Queen's Platinum Jubilee & a Government Holiday to mark the 40th anniversary of the 🇫🇰 Falkland Island Liberation Day. @40Falklands @FalklandsGov @RoyalFamily

Volunteers have been helping to clear & restore Monkey Rock Cemetery, one of the oldest on the island. Containing graves dating back to the mid-1800s & is located on the slopes of Green Mountain, a few hundred meters below the Residency. 🇦🇨 Read more: mailchi.mp/bc150947d8b8/p…

.@AscensionAdm has released this year's Christmas message highlighting the work & collaboration during 2021 to keep 🇦🇨 working & safe. Full message: mailchi.mp/5b8b983619f5/p… Photos: 🇦🇨 nurses, Cllr Nicholls at the JMC in London & the 1st vaccines arrive. Merry Christmas to all!

We had a super curious scrawled filefish on our #dive over the weekend. So lucky to see such a beautiful fish up close and personal! #Ascension #islandlife #SCUBA

@CoralReefFish @synth_ethics @katpower714 Tristan da Cunha's MPZ has Ascension beat being just shy of 700,000 km2!

@synth_ethics @katpower714 Ascension Island, a British territory, is fully protected and has an area of 440,000 km2.

I can't take it anymore. The Selvagens Islands, heavily publicized in the last few days as "largest fully protected marine reserve in Europe", are NOT in Europe. They are located off the coast of AFRICA. Amazing how conservation NGOs will do anything to make area the headline.

While Ascension Island and its waters are rich with biodiversity, the #biodiversity and #ecological systems are threatened by invasive alien species, with #ants being one of the most harmful groups. Find out more: hubs.ly/Q0113_3Y0 #Biodiversity #Fera #Science

@halifaxinvestor @AndrewBellBNN Ascension Island still has the HMS Hood guns mounted at Fort Bedford on the slopes of Cross Hill. twitter.com/XanderFCDO/sta…

@AndrewBellBNN Andy, have you ever read about the Ascension Island during WW2? After the famous Bismarck, HMS Hood battle early in the war, 5.5 in guns were recovered from the destroyed HMS Hood and used to set up defensive batteries on the islands. Later used to shell a surfaced U-boat U-124

@Helge_Nielsen @rightrelevance @CoralReefFish At 445,000sq km Ascension Island's #MPA is one of the largest in the world however Tristan da Cunha has us beat with their whopping 687,247sq km of protected ocean. A massive boost for ocean biodiversity. ascensionmpa.ac @AscensionMPA @fkilpatricktdc @ukgovbluebelt

Ascension Island marine protected area will be largest in Atlantic Ocean nationalgeographic.com/environment/ar… via @rightrelevance thanks @coralreeffish

New Year resolutions on Ascension Island often focus on protecting the island's unique environment & the vital biodiversity the Territory offers. @AIGConservation works with islanders to keep Green Mountain (& themselves!) in good shape through various restoration projects. 🇦🇨

On Thursday 18 November there was a Formal meeting of the Ascension Island Council 🇦🇨 Minutes of the meeting are below. Minutes for past meetings can be found on the @ascension_gov website: #minutes" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">ascension.gov.ac/government/isl… Discover more about the Councillors:ascension.gov.ac/government/isl…

#Ascension, #Pitcairn & #Tristan da Cunha published their MPA management plans. Providing the essential roadmap to how they will protect their MPAs. #BlueBelt2021 @AscensionMPA @PulauResidence @fkilpatricktdc

#OTD in 1979 Ascension Island issues a First Day Cover of stamps featuring the centenary of the death of Sir Rowland Hill