Improving trails and visitor experiences in the Peaks National Park, St Helena Island

Improving trails and visitor experiences in the Peaks National Park, St Helena Island

The Peaks National Park is home to the last remaining fragments of endemic cloud forest habitat on St Helena Island. It is a premier hiking destination for locals and tourists, but as tourism numbers increased so did the impacts on the national park. Foot traffic was eroding the trails, the trails were becoming unsafe, and it was beginning to affect the surrounding habitat. Wooden boardwalks, staircases, handrails and a hiking shelter were constructed to improve access, safety and reduce visitor impacts. The trails are now safe and accessible, the profile of conservation in the cloud forest has been improved, and the National Park is now an eco-tourism icon for St Helena.