Meet Helena Bennett, the woman helping to preserve St Helena's wild landscapes for generations to come

Everything about the small island of St Helena seems unlikely. It stands isolated in the middle of the South Atlantic, halfway between Africa and South America, but it’s been a British colony for over 400 years. The island is mostly made of volcanic rock, yet its topography is astonishingly varied, ranging from meadows and cloud forest to subtropical valleys filled with wildflowers, cacti and succulents. And, although it covers less than 47sq miles — roughly the size of Manchester — this speck of land is home to 502 endemic species (over a third of the total found across all British territories). It's also home to Helena Bennett, the director of the St Helena National Trust, who works to preserve these natural wonders and educate visitors on the island's storied past. "It's unusual, I'll admit that much," she says of her role, which can encompass everything from conserving heritage buildings to protecting endangered species like the wirebird.

Like most St Helenians — or Saints, as they prefer to be called — Helena’s family history illustrates the island’s tangled past. “St Helena is a melting pot. Most islanders have at least 16 different DNA markers,” Helena explains. “On my maternal side, we traced our family tree back to 1645 and the Bennetts in Lancaster, who came as part of the whaling industry. On my paternal side, 24% of my DNA is from Southern India, so they were probably workers for the East India Company. We discovered 14% comes from Congo or Cameroon, so that’s the slave trade. A single person is a living piece of the island’s history. To me, that’s fascinating.”

Facing the past

In recent years, the island has reckoned with some of the more uncomfortable aspects of its past. Between 1840 and 1872, the British Navy intercepted slave ships en route from Africa to the Americas in an attempt to eliminate the illegal transatlantic trade. More than 25,000 Africans liberated from these ships were brought to St Helena. Most were later taken back to Africa or on to other countries, but around a third of those settled on the island and were eventually buried in Rupert's Valley, a rocky ravine a few miles from the capital, Jamestown. In 2008, when the island’s airport was being built, the remains of 325 people were exhumed and reburied in a new cemetery. Work is currently underway to build an education centre and memorial to help tell their story.

The National Trust offers guided tours of Rupert’s Valley to help visitors gain a deeper understanding of St Helena's role in the abolition of the international slave trade. The St Helena Museum in Jamestown also provides historical background from ships’ logs, sailors’ letters and shipwreck artefacts. Helena also suggests visitors hike to High Knoll Fort, the hilltop citadel that looms high over the capital. “The views are amazing, and I like to imagine what it would’ve been like in the 1700s or 1800s, when it would have been this vibrant, lively working fort.”

Preserving natural wonders

For most travellers, it’s St Helena’s natural splendour that draws them here. The island’s coastline has been a designated marine reserve since 2016, and, in 2023, it was chosen as a Hope Spot — a beacon of marine biodiversity. “It’s been heartwarming to receive that official recognition,” says Helena. She’s been particularly encouraged by the response of the island’s fisherfolk, who, after initial reservations, have come to embrace the project, from implementing fishing quotas to fighting plastic pollution. Their efforts have paid off: St Helena is rated as one of the best places in the South Atlantic to see marine megafauna such as dolphins, green turtles and whale sharks.

The island’s cloud forest, which contains more than 70% of St Helena’s endemic species, including the blushing snail and spiky yellow woodlouse, currently faces threats from invasive species and pathogens, including a water mould called phytophthora. To learn about replanting initiatives that are helping to preserve the island’s endangered plants, Helena recommends taking a guided walk to Blue Point or Southwest Point. “From there, you can see the cloud forest in all its glory,” she says.

Helena has big plans for the National Trust, including a renovation project for the island’s historic buildings; a grasslands restoration programme; a cultural centre with space for the island’s library and digitised archives; and a new research initiative focussing on the island’s shark species.

“There’s lots of exciting work,” she says. “We’re doing things here the rest of the world is aspiring to. As always, we’re leading the way, even if we’re a small island very far away.”