Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to provide assistance to projects and programmes in relation to conservation of biodiversity in the UK overseas territories.

Environmental policy is a devolved responsibility, however the UK works in partnership with the Overseas Territories (OTs) to deliver both OT- specific objectives and contribute to wider regional and international environmental commitments of the UK and OTs. The Government has awarded £5.2 million which will be given to 21 projects through the Darwin Plus Scheme for conservation of the unique and globally significant plants and animals that reside in UK Overseas Territories.

There are a number of funding streams available to the British Overseas Territories to support the protection and management of their natural resources including Darwin Plus (also known as The Overseas Territories Environment and Climate Fund), an environmental funding stream with an annual budget of £10 million from 2021. Funding from the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund has also provided funding from 2016-2021 for a number of environmental projects including the Blue Belt of marine protection around the OTs, assessing Natural Capital, implementing actions plans to protect fragile coral reefs and non-native species/biosecurity measures to prevent the introduction and spread of harmful species to new environments.

The UK Government's call for evidence undertaken in 2019 sought to identify how government funds can achieve greater impact in protecting the rich biodiversity of the OTs, and how funding can deliver better value for money in meeting environmental commitments in the future. Responses to this call will inform the upcoming comprehensive spending review.