Ducie Island, which has been part of the Pitcairn Islands in the South Pacific since 1902, is one of the world’s ten least frequently visited places in the world. It was discovered in 1606 by a Portuguese sailor, Pedro Fernandez de Quiros, who named it Encarnacion. In 1791, it was “rediscovered” by Edward Edwards, captain of HMS Pandora, who was looking for the mutineers of HMS Bounty. It was at this time that the island was renamed Ducie, in honour of Sir Francis Ducie, a famous captain of the British Royal Navy. In 1902, the United Kingdom annexed the island.
The uninhabited atoll is 2.4 km long and 1.6 km wide. It is designated as a “Protective Marine Area,” a special nature conservation area, entrance to which is subject to special official permits. A curious feature of the island, which has an area of only 70 hectares, is that its highest elevation above sea level is only 4 metres. 70 percent of the land is covered by tropical forests, dominated by Heliotropium foertheriarium, an indigenous species in the area, which grows to a height of 6 meters.
Its significance in terms of nature conservation is further enhanced by the fact that, since the island has no permanent population (it is 10 years since the last scientific expedition visited), the island has no predators and rodents, which is very favourable for birds.
A research team consisting of 14 members was organised this autumn to survey how the natural environment has changed and what effect pollution has had on the island. The expedition was also justified by the fact that it was not far from Ducie Island (approximately 350 km away), at the also uninhabited Henderson Island, where the worst case of plastic pollution in the world was recently identified.
In addition to 10 American experts, the team also had 4 European researchers, including László Radócz from the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Environmental Management, as the only Hungarian. The task of Radócz, who is the director of the Institute of Plant Protection, was the surveying of mushrooms, as well as ensuring satellite and radio communications.
The members of the expedition left for Ducie on board the legendary research vessel, from the closest inhabited place, the Mangareva Atoll, which is part of French Polynesia. They spent a total of 13 days on the island, where they engaged in research in a diversity of fields, including marine biology, conducted microbiological analyses, studying endemic bird species, collecting and examining soil and plant samples. They will compile a complex research report from their findings.
The expedition was supported by numerous international organizations such as the Northern California Science Foundation.
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