UKOTCF: United Kingdom Overseas Territories Conservation Forum

This is our pre-2018 site. Please go instead to www.ukotcf.org.uk

The new UKOTCF web-site is www.ukotcf.org.uk. Our original website - www.ukotcf.org - has, through many evolutions, served the UKOTCF network for some 20 years. In its early years, it introduced several features which were then ground-breaking for the web. With the use nowadays of web-browsing by tablets and smart-phones (neither of which existed in the early years of this web-site), it has become impracticable to take full advantage of many potential capacities while still using this platform.

Therefore, over the year 2017-8, we have developed a new site, www.ukotcf.org.uk, which is now live. Our original site was developed primarily for conservation practitioners in the UK Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies, but became increasingly used also by wider audiences – and was often the most consulted site on many aspects of UKOTs/CDs. We have tried to make sure that all the information on the old site is accessible on the new site – plus the new facilities, which will be expanded progressively.

Some facilities are still more practicable on the old platform than the new one. Therefore, the old site will remain functional, and there are direct links through for those functions from the new site. And the old site can still be accessed directly by its existing address. We will not, however, be updating most functions on the old site, such as news items, future copies of newsletters, contact details etc. These will be covered in the new site. We will be leaving existing material on the site to be available as an archive: we are not one of those organisations that offhandedly delete access to history!

Please note that email addresses of UKOTCF personnel will not be changed. Generally, these are [initial&surname]@ukotcf.org. However, a few more general-purpose email addresses @ukotcf.org.uk may start to appear for some purposes.

We hope that users like the new facilities, and our measures to avoid losing any existing ones. Comments are welcome; please use the contact mechanisms on the new site.

Examples of page tops on the new site (if you click on these, you will be re-directed to the new site):

The UK Overseas Territories Conservation Forum [UKOTCF] exists to promote the coordinated conservation of the diverse and increasingly threatened plant and animal species and natural habitats of the UK Territories Overseas. It aims to do this by providing assistance in the form of expertise, information and liaison between non-governmental organisations and governments, both in the UK and in the Territories themselves.

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- The UKOTCF is a Registered Charity (1058483) - [RAILO]

Recent News

Full list >>

Future news items will be on our new web site (https://www.ukotcf.org.uk)
All future news items will appear on our new website (https://www.ukotcf.org.uk/Pages/News/Category/news/) , rather than here, although this original site will remain available as an archive and certain other roles.
Users of certain old devices (especially early ipads and iphones) may need to use "Menu for old systems", rather than the main menu, to navigate around the new site.

Sombrero Island – Anguilla’s first Ramsar Site designated
UKOTCF congratulates Anguilla National Trust and the Government of Anguilla on the designation on 22 May 2018 of Sombero Island as Anguilla’s first Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention. This follows the listing of Sombrero as a proposed Ramsar Site in 2005 by UKOTCF, with Anguillan colleagues, in its review for UK & UKOT/CD governments of actual and proposed UKOT/CD Ramsar Sites. Read More

Environmental Audit Committee reports on environment & EU referendum
Highlights of UK Parliament Environmental Audit Committee reports on:
Future of the Environment after the EU Referendum;
Marine Protected Areas revisited;
Sustainable Development Goals in the UK,
with links to the reports themselves. Read More

Environmental Audit Committee's inquiry MPAs
UKOTCF provided written evidence to three Environmental Audit Committee inquiries over the summer. In January 2017, we were invited to provide oral evidence to the inquiry on Marine Protected Areas.
Read More

Environmental Audit Committee publish report on EU referendum
The Environmental Audit Committee has publishes its report on the Future of the Natural Environment after the EU Referendum. Read More

EU's BEST programme funds projects in UKOTs
The European Commission has announced €2million funding for projects under the BEST scheme (Voluntary scheme for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in Territories of the EU Outermost Regions and Overseas Countries and Territories). Read More

Video from UKOT/CD environment ministers meeting
The first videos from this meeting on 27-28 April in Alderney are now available here. Hon. Sylvan Richards MP, Minister of Environment, Government of Bermuda, interviewed in Alderney here.

'Britain's Treasure Islands'
This new book filled with superb photos of wildlife of all UK Overseas Territories.
The book is linked to the series "Britain's Treasure Islands" broadcast on BBC4 weekly in April 2016, and repeated twice since into 2017.
Buying via UKOTCF makes a contribution to UKOTCF's conservation work at no extra cost to yourself.

Joint Ministerial Council and UKOT Environment Ministers Council
UK and UK Overseas Territory ministers met on 1-2 December in the annual Joint Ministerial Council. Paragraph 30 of their Joint Communique welcomes the creation of a Territories' Environment Ministers Council. UKOTCF is pleased to have helped the Government of Gibraltar to initiate this and will continue to help ministers build on this start.

For the whole document click here

Bermuda Ombudsman reports on legal status of Charters
The Bermuda Ombudsman has published a report which looks at the legal status of the Environment Charters Read more

UKOT/CD Environment Ministers Council in Isle of Man
Ministers and senior officials from UKOTs and CDs will travel to the Isle of Man to discuss on 6th and 7th February the future of the environment in their jurisdictions.
Further information in the Isle of Man Government's press release. Know More

Environment Ministers from the UK’s Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies call on UK Government to meet its commitments
UKOT & CD Environment Ministers or equivalents have issued a statement resulting from their meeting in Alderney, Channel Islands: full news item here. Just Statement as pdf here or as MS Word here

Environment Charters Review
Measures of performance by 2009 of UK Overseas Territories (& Crown Dependencies) and UK Government in implementing the 2001 Environment Charters or their equivalents.
Read More

Statement from 3rd UKOT/CD Environment Ministers Council
The 3rd UK Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies Environment Council Meeting, in the Isle of Man, 6th-7th February 2018, has agreed a statement, available in pdf format and MS Word.

A new guide booklet on bird-watching and other heritage features in Montserrat.

Links to UKOTCF & other UKOT videos
UKOTCF's Environmental Education Coordinator, Ann Pienkowski has taken a great deal of video of UKOTs over several years for several purposes, and some was used by Stewart McPherson to fill gaps in coverage for his shorts. Ann is now editing her material for wider use. The first two, on Montserrat and Grand Turk, are already available. The title above links to those, as well to the Britain's Treasure Islands shorts.

St Helena joins UKOTCF Virtual Tours
Virtual tour for St Helena, is now available at the Virtual Tour page here, joining those for 9 other territories. Others will be joining them progressively over the coming months.

Good progress at UKOT/CD Environment Ministers Council meeting in Isle of Man
Ministers and senior officials from UKOTs and CDs met in the Isle of Man to discuss on 6th and 7th February the future of the environment in their jurisdictions.
Further information in the Isle of Man Government's press release.

UKOT/CD Environment Ministers, Isle of Man, video
A 7-minute video reporting the 3rd UKOT/CD Environment Ministers Council meeting, in the Isle of Man, is now available here. The meeting agreed a statement, available in pdf format and MS Word.

Forum News 48 available
Articles include:
3rd Council of UKOT/CD Environment Ministers * Update from Montserrat initiatives * UK Government’s 25-year environment plan * World Heritage Site restoration on Gough Island * Team Rat back to South Georgia * Cayman Islands Land Reserve Fund drive * Coral reefs in peril * Blue Belt publication for schools...
....and more...

2016-2017 Annual Report.
The 14-page 2016-2017 Annual Report is now available for download.

First report of UKOT/CD Environment Ministers Meeting
Representatives from 13 UK Overseas Territories (UKOT) and Crown Dependencies met on 27-28 April in Alderney,to discuss actions to sustain the environment in these uniquely important wildlife areas. UKOTCF is pleased to have been asked to help organise the meeting. First report of discussions

Proceedings of 2015 Gibraltar Conference
The Proceedings of the 2015 Conference Sustaining Partnerships are now available for download from here. Also available from the same page are the conclusions and recommendations and other reports and videos.

Progress for Environment Charters and Aichi Targets
UKOTCF has published the latest review, collated from territory information, of progress in implementing the Environment Charters (or equivalents) and towards Aichi Targets.

Earlier "What's New" items >>

What's New: 10 October 2024