Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 5 March 2025 to Question 32981 on British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of (a) the transfer of sovereignty and (b) the consequences of the protections being changed of the current marine protected area on (i) biodiversity, (ii) protection of reefs, (iii) fish species and numbers and (iv) other plant and animal life.

The UK will assist Mauritius in implementing a new Mauritian Marine Protected Area in the Archipelago, which will extend to technical, financial, capacity-building assistance, fostering long-term sustainable management.  The parties will work with international conservation organisations to ensure the implementation of science-backed strategies for conservation.