Review of the Status of Implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity and of Biodiversity Action Plans in the European Union Overseas Entities REPORT ON THE UNITED KINGDOM AND ITS OVERSEAS ENTITIES A report to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) December 2010 Gillian Cooper, Consultant TABLE OF CONTENTS ACRONYMS ................................................................................................................................................................3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...........................................................................................................................................5 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................8 2. CURRENT STATUS ..........................................................................................................................................9 2.1. THE UKOT S ................................................................................................................................................9 2.2. UK TO UKOT RELATIONSHIP AND ENGAGEMENT IN THE CBD ................................................................11 2.3. NATIONAL BIODIVERSITY ACTION PLANS ...................................................................................................12 2.4. LOCAL BIODIVERSITY STRATEGIES AND ACTION PLANS AND POLICY AND PLANNING INSTRUMENTS RELEVANT TO BIODIVERSITY ...................................................................................................................................12 2.4.1. BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS ......................................................................................................................12 2.4.2. CAYMAN ISLANDS ..................................................................................................................................14 2.4.3. ST HELENA , ASCENSION AND TRISTAN DA CUNHA .............................................................................16 2.5. OTHER INTERNATIONAL AND REGIONAL POLICIES AND AGREEMENTS .....................................................19 2.5.1. INTERNATIONAL MULTILATERAL AGREEMENTS ...................................................................................19 2.5.2. REGIONAL POLICIES AND AGREEMENTS ...............................................................................................20 3. PROCESS OF STRATEGY AND PLAN FORMULATION .......................................................................23 3.1. HISTORY OF UKOT RELATIONS IN BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION ..........................................................23 3.2. THE UK BAP PROCESS AND REPORTING ON OT ACTIVITIES TO THE CBD ............................................23 3.3. THE ENVIRONMENT CHARTERS .................................................................................................................24 3.4. THE 2009 UKOT BIODIVERSITY STRATEGY ............................................................................................24 3.5. BAP AND STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT PROCESSES IN THE UKOT S .........................................................25 3.5.1. BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS ......................................................................................................................25 3.5.2. CAYMAN ISLANDS ..................................................................................................................................26 3.5.3. ST. HELENA , ASCENSION AND TRISTAN DA CUNHA ............................................................................27 4. POLICY COHERENCE AND LINKAGES ....................................................................................................29 4.1. LINKS TO GLOBAL POLICY ........................................................................................................................29 4.2. LINKS TO EU POLICY .................................................................................................................................29 4.3. LINKS TO NATIONAL POLICY .....................................................................................................................30 4.4. LINKS TO REGIONAL POLICY .....................................................................................................................31 4.5. LOCAL POLICY COHERENCE ......................................................................................................................31 5. IMPLEMENTATION .........................................................................................................................................32 5.1. INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS IN THE UK FOR BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION IN THE UKOT S ..........32 5.1.1. GOVERNMENT AGENCIES ......................................................................................................................32 5.1.2. OVERSEAS TERRITORIES TRAINING AND RESEARCH GROUP . ............................................................33 5.1.3. UK NON -GOVERNMENTAL ORGANISATIONS AND STATUTORY ORGANISATIONS .................................34 5.2. GLOBAL AND REGIONAL NON -GOVERNMENTAL ORGANISATIONS AND STATUTORY ORGANISATIONS ....35 5.3. INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS IN THE UKOT S......................................................................................35 5.3.1. BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS ......................................................................................................................35 5.3.2. CAYMAN ISLANDS ..................................................................................................................................37 5.3.3. ST. HELENA ...........................................................................................................................................38 1 5.3.4. ASCENSION ISLAND ...............................................................................................................................38 5.3.5. TRISTAN DA CUNHA ...............................................................................................................................39 5.4. MAIN ACTIONS AND ACTIVITIES IMPLEMENTED .........................................................................................41 5.4.1. BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS ......................................................................................................................41 5.4.2. CAYMAN ISLANDS ..................................................................................................................................47 5.4.3. ST. HELENA , ASCENSION AND TRISTAN DA CUNHA ............................................................................56 6. RESULTS AND IMPACTS .............................................................................................................................63 7. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS ...........................................................................................................68 7.1. INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS AND POLICY CONTEXT IN THE UK .........................................................68 7.2. INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS AND POLICY CONTEXT IN THE UKOT S .................................................69 7.3. CONTENT AND PROCESS OF STRATEGIES IN THE UKOT S .......................................................................70 7.4. FUNDING AND FINANCING ..........................................................................................................................70 7.5. PLANNED CONSERVATION ACTIONS AND RESULTS OBTAINED .................................................................71 8. PRELIMINARY RECOMMENDATIONS ......................................................................................................72 ANNEX 1: PERSONS INTERVIEWED .................................................................................................................74 ANNEX 2: BIBLIOGRAPHY...................................................................................................................................75 ANNEX 3: MEMBERSHIP OF JNCC UKOT AND CROWN DEPENDENCIES TRAINING AND RESEARCH COMMITTEE ......................................................................................................................................78 2 ACRONYMS ACAP Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels ACP African, Caribbean and Pacific states AIG Ascension Island Government AOSIS Alliance of Small Island States BAP Biodiversity action plan BEST Biodiversity Ecosystem Services for the EU Overseas Territories BIOT British Indian Ocean Territory BSAP Biodiversity strategy and action plan BVI British Virgin Islands CANARI Caribbean Natural Resources Institute CBD Convention on Biological Diversity CCCCC Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre CFD Conservation and Fisheries Department (of the British Virgin Islands) CITES Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species CMS Convention on Migratory Species DCMS Department for Culture, Media and Sport (UK) DEFRA Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (UK) DFID Department for International Development (UK) DG Environment Directorate-General for the Environment (of the European Commission) DoE Department of Environment (of the Cayman Islands) EDF European Development Fund EEZ Exclusive Economic Zone EFOT Environment Fund for the Overseas Territories EIA Environmental impact assessment EU European Union FCO Foreign and Commonwealth Office FTE Full-time equivalent GBSC Global Biodiversity