Government has awarded £10.9m for global conservation projects

The government has announced £10.9m for global conservation projects to mark World Environment Day (June 5). 

In an announcement made earlier today the government has promised that over the next three years 17 projects will receive £5.7m through the Darwin Initiative, a scheme that works to protect wildlife and natural environments across the world.

A further 21 projects will also benefit from £5.2m through the Darvin Plus scheme. This funding will focus on global conversation projects for endangered plants and animals in UK territories overseas.

In the Spring Budget earlier this year (March 2020), the chancellor announced that the government would triple the funding for the Darwin Plus programme, building on the £220m for biodiversity conservation fund in developing nations.

Projects to benefit from the new funding include conservation work in the British Virgin Islands to help preserve turtle populations and their seagrass meadow habitats and work to support local communities by providing training for reforestation in Uganda.

International environment minister Lord Goldsmith said: ‘World Environment Day provides us all with a stark reminder of the need to take urgent action to reverse global biodiversity loss.

‘Through our Darwin Initiative and Darwin Plus programme, we are restoring many precious natural environments across the world, helping to transform the lives of the poorest communities and prevent the extinction of some of the world’s most wonderful species.

Professor E.J. Milner Gulland from Oxford University and Chair of the Darwin Expert Committee and Darwin Plus Advisory Group said: ‘On World Environment Day, it’s great that Darwin is able to support so many innovative, impactful projects around the world.

‘It was inspiring to delve into these projects during the assessment process, and I’m looking forward to seeing these projects blossom over the next few years, improving both the state of nature and people’s lives.’

In related news, Darren Evans, reader in Ecology and Conservation at Newcastle University discusses why wildlife conservation efforts need to change if we are to avoid the risk of total biodiversity collapse.

Photo Credit – Pixabay