the darwin initiative - achievements in overseas territories

8/7/2019 The Darwin Initiative - Achievements in Overseas Territories

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The UK’s Darwin Initiative has provided over £3million to projects in Overseas Territories. In late

2009, in recognition of the special challengesfacing them, it launched its Overseas TerritoriesChallenge Fund. To support the Darwin Initiative’swork in Overseas Territories, a review has beencarried out to capture lessons from experience.These lessons are shared in this briefing note.

This is a story of paradise at risk…. and whatthe UK’s Darwin Initiative is doing to help.

The UK’s Overseas Territories cover a fantasticallydiverse range of ecosystems and habitats, rangingfrom ice-fields in the Antarctic regions, to coral reefsand tropical forests in the Caribbean and IndianOcean. It is estimated that over 90% of the UK’s

Biodiversity is located in its Overseas Territories.Importantly, because they are mostly small, oceanicislands, their biodiversity has evolved in isolation,resulting in a high proportion of endemic species,found nowhere else in the world. To date, over 340endemic species have been found in the UK’s OverseasTerritories. They are special places.

But they are under threat. On land, over-grazing,habitat conversion, and non-native, invasive speciesare taking their toll. Marine biodiversity is at risk

from over-exploitation and climate change. Theimplications are significant – biodiversity underpinsthe ecosystem services that provide significanteconomic and social benefits to local people. Losingbiodiversity here means losing tourism, losingfreshwater, losing fisheries.

The Darwin Initiative:Achievements in Overseas Territories

Ascension Island - Green turtle nesting.

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Special places: Myviken, South Georgia. P h o

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Key achievements of Darwin Initiativeprojects in Overseas Territories

Supporting obligations under international

Conservation Conventions

A core support provided by many projects in the DIportfolio has been strengthening the managementplanning processes that guide work at the national

level towards the commitments and priorities of theConventions. Often this has involved developingthe skills of local people so that they may continuework after the conclusion of Darwin projects.

Excellence in research and technical support

High quality scientific research often increaseslikelihood of official adoption of Darwin Initiativeproject recommendations, participation ofthe local community, and contribution to the

economic development of the UKOT. Deliveringgroundbreaking research in order to providetechnical solutions to biodiversity challenges is akey strength of Darwin projects in the UKOTs.

Building effective partnerships and capacity

Whilst success of partnerships is often determinedby pivotal individuals, logistical problems ofremoteness have tended to be an issue forcommunications in Darwin Initiative projects inUKOTs. This requires them to be relatively flexible in

approach and consider longer periods of input fromUK partners. Projects most successful in capacitybuilding in UKOTs have looked beyond the formalpartners and include local communities, throughparticipatory planning and outreach activities.

Cayman Islands

BermudaGibralt

Turk and Caicos IslandsAnguillaMontserrat

Ascension Is

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British Virgin Islands

TristanGough

South GeorgiFalkland Islands

South San

Pitcairn Islands

Falklands Islands - Nem

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Adapting to your environment

The Turks and Caicos Islands are located justto the South of the Bahamas. A substantial

Ramsar site (wetland habitat of internationalimportance) on the island of Middle Caicossupports a fascinating range of species, manyof which are poorly documented. MiddleCaicos is, as yet, largely untouched by majortourist developments and the small localpopulation were keen to protect the assets oftheir natural environment and their quality oflife, but need work for their young people. Aninnovative Darwin project (8-164) respondedthrough flexible working with the local

communities, involving them in developing abiodiversity management plan and initiating aviable sustainable programme of developmentbased on eco-tourism.

Case Study:

Creating a legacy through science

The isolated situation of Gough Island (part ofthe Tristan da Cunha island group in the SouthAtlantic) has led to the development of a uniquebiota. Inclusion in the UNESCO World HeritageList recognises its pristine condition and global

importance. Awareness that introduced specieswere a potential threat to this island directly ledto the proposal for a Darwin project (8-253),‘Invertebrate Diversity and Endemism at GoughIsland and Threats from Introduced Species’. Duringthe project, 1000’s of samples were collected, usinga variety of methods across the island.

The research provided an extremely richdescription of the invertebrate biotaof Gough Island. This data was both a

scientifically important resource for analyses ofbiogeographical processes, and a powerful toolfor analysing the conservation status of andthreats to the island – with immediate influenceon management practices and plans for Gough.

Case Study:

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Falkland Islands – Gorganocephalus chilensis.

South Georgia -

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British Virgin Islands – Young people learning

sea turtle work.

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Falkland Islands –

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Training

Training is an important element of knowledgetransfer in the Darwin Initiative. Training can bescientific (such as in monitoring methods), it canbe in project management and administrationapproaches for ongoing project activities (vitalfor the legacy of a project) or, it can take theform of information dissemination to wider local

communities, NGOs and schools. Involving thecommunity in the UKOTs is often pivotal to theongoing conservation and protection of highlyendangered species, as misinformation can lead tooverexploitation of local resources.

Building support for conservation through

communication, education and public

awareness.

Communication activities are critical to the successof a Darwin Initiative project. Coupled withpublicising the project and the Darwin Initiativeprogramme, the added benefits are to the localcommunities in the form of environmentaleducation and a heightened public awareness ofconservation issues involving their local resources.

Akrotiri & Dhekelia

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n eating fish.

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Responding to Change

In 2004, the Cayman Islands sufferedcatastrophic damage by Hurricane Ivan. ADarwin Initiative project (14-051) applicationwas underway when the hurricane hit and wasswiftly modified to allow incorporation of acutebiodiversity assessment needs. The project helpedthe Cayman Islands Government to understandthe extent of the damage and its impact on thelocal economy; the islands’ natural resources areof vital importance to the tourism industry. Asan example of how extensive the partnershipnetwork can be for a Darwin Initiative project,there were 28 organisations and institutions(from the UK, USA and the Cayman Islands)involved in delivering the project. This network

enabled achievement of the project purpose ofenhanced knowledge, capacity and biodiversityconservation through the adoption of theBiodiversity Action Plan for Cayman Islands(see http://www.caymanbiodiversity.com/).

Case Study:

Sharing the News

Some Darwin Initiative projects havemade extensive use of local, regional andeven global media to great success. TheCentre Hills project in Montserrat (14-027)used knowledge of local communicationpreferences (typical to a small island) totarget its efforts. The Centre Hills is aforested area in the centre of the island

which provides numerous, critical socio-economic benefits to the island’s residents.As part of the project’s campaign todesignate the Centre Hills as a NationalPark, the project produced 26 articlesin the written press, 34 radio interviewsand 3,750 newsletters were distributedlocally. Considering 72.6% of the peopleof Montserrat listen to the radio daily,this suggests that three quarters of the

population heard about the project by thatmeans alone. There is now wide supportfor the preservation and conservation ofCentre Hills and its biodiversity for futuregenerations.

Case Study:

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Falkland Islands – Hexactis.

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Tristan da Cunha – Albatross on Nightingale Island.

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Penguins.

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Falkland Islands - Coral.



Defra has ear-marked £1.5 million for OverseasTerritories and has opened the Overseas TerritoriesChallenge Fund. How can conservationists inOverseas Territories make the most of this?

All can apply for Darwin Initiative funds

It is not limited to those Overseas Territorieswhich have signed the conservation Conventions(Convention on Biological Diversity, the Conventionon Migratory Species and CITES). Conservationobjectives can instead be linked to NationalEnvironment Charters or Environmental Plans.

allows the recruitment of staff by OverseasTerritories institutions to address this constraint.Contributing funds are often challenging tosecure for Darwin Projects in Overseas Territories.Innovative funding sources could be consideredfor the long term sustainability of Darwin projectactivities – for example, where there is economicdependency on the ecosystem, consider privatesector or corporate responsibility funding.

Seek experience for applications

The tried and tested Darwin Initiative applications

process, including use of a logical frame, cansometimes be challenging. There are a number ofUK institutions with great experience in this typeof application who would make excellent projectpartners. Overseas Territories institutions can seekadvice from the Darwin Secretariat on how toapply and with whom to partner.

The Darwin Initiative understands the specialchallenges faced by Overseas Territories. If youhave a project in mind that you think might fit theDarwin Initiative remit, but are not sure how to takeit forward – get in touch, and Defra will try to help.

Printed in October 2010 on elemental chlorine-free paper containing a minimum of 75% de-inked post consumer waste and virgin fibre from sustainable forests.

The Darwin Initiative aims to promote biodiversity conservation and sustainable use of resources around the world including the UK’sOverseas Territories. It uses UK expertise working with local partners to help countries rich in biodiversity but poor in resources to fulfil theircommitments under the CBD, CMS and CITES. The Initiative is funded and administered by the UK Government’s Department for Environment,Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). Since 1992, the Darwin Initiative has committed over £73m to over 650 projects in over 100 countries.

This note was produced by LTS International (LTS) www.ltsi.co.uk

For information on the Darwin Initiative see http://darwin.defra.gov.uk. For more information on the CBD, CITES or CMS see www.cbd.int,www.cms.int or www.cites.org.

Darwin Initiative Secretariat, Defra, Floor Area 3D, Third Floor, Nobel House,17 Smith Square, London, SW1P 3JR

Tel. +44 (0)207 238 5255 Fax. +44 (0) 207 082 8436 Email [email protected]

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Opportunities for the Overseas Territories to get more from the Darwin Initiative

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Feral pigs on Montserrat – The Centre Hills project supports the

national biodiversity action plan.

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Aquaculture facilities on the Falklands Islands receive significant

technical assistance from the UK partners through Darwin funding.

Acceptable travel investmentsOverseas Territories are remote and getting therecan be time-consuming and expensive. The DarwinInitiative understands these challenges and canaccept higher travel costs relative to other projects.

Deal with institutional capacity constraints

Overseas Territory environment institutions oftenhave constraints in terms of finances or staffing.Extensive use of UK-institution staff with Darwinprojects in Overseas Territories when requiredis understandable and justifiable – Darwin also

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