Ascension Island

 

Ascension Island is a British overseas territory right between Africa and Brazil. The island is only ten kilometres across, but its territorial waters around it measure 441,000 square kilometres and harbour incredible biodiversity including huge, rare fish and green turtles.

London to Monaco riders have been supporting Ascension since 2016 and have funded a huge amount of conservation and community projects on the island, including rebuilding the boardwalk up to the top of Green Mountain, renovating the historic turtle ponds to make a lovely paddling area by the sea, kitting out the school with a new science classroom, and providing lab equipment for the conservation team and buying iPad’s for the school children.

Partly thanks to this ongoing support, the Ascension Island Council has voted in favour of hosting a 100 per cent marine protected area in its waters. This will be the largest no-take marine reserve in the Atlantic and the eighth largest in the world, and will provide a much-needed sanctuary for the tuna, sharks, swordfish, sailfish and marlin, all of which are being fished to the point of collapse.  

The people of Ascension are so enthusiastic about London to Monaco that they host their own version of the ride on the island – not as long, but in tropical heat, it’s quite a feat!