Investigations are being made into some of the critical areas of forest ecology within the Centre Hills. The impacts of invasive species is of particular concern. Rats and pigs are perhaps the biggest threat to the health of the Centre Hills, though other non-native plants and animals have had negative impacts on the forest as well. Forest hydrology is also of interest. Some of the key questions being researched are:

What do rats eat?

Do rats have particular habitat preferences?

What is the abundance of brown rats vs. black rats?

What is the impact of rats on birds? Reptiles? Amphibians? Insects? Plants?

What is the impact of spring water extraction on wildlife?

Philemon “Mappie” Murraine of the Montserrat National Trust collects plants with Kew team members Colin Clubbe and Martin Hamilton


Courtesy: Andrew McRobb,
Royal Botanic Gardens - Kew