Minister Cortes addresses Overseas Territories Conference

Minister for Environment and Climate Change John Cortes took part in the Ministerial session of the 7th Conference on Conservation and Sustainability in UK Overseas Territories, Crown Dependencies and other small island states, together with UK Minister for Nature, Mary Creagh.

Minister Cortes, who was joined at the event by Environment CEO Stephen Warr, has been involved in these conferences since they were first held twenty-five years ago, and in his address to the participants from around the world he remarked on the progress made through the years in exchanges, networking, capacity building and cooperation between the small states. He highlighted the importance of conservation in small territories, remarking that 94% of the UK’s biodiversity in fact is held in the Overseas Territories.

Minister Creagh stressed the progress also being made in promoting biodiversity in the UK and HM Government’s commitment to supporting the Territories in their biodiversity work, both in providing funding through the Darwin Plus initiative, and in developing the soon to be published Overseas Territories’ Biodiversity Strategy.

The Conference, which is attended online by over 100 participants, continues until Thursday, and there are contributions from around the world, including from both the Gibraltar Botanic Gardens and the University of Gibraltar.

Registration remains open, and can be accessed from the link below, which also links to the full conference programme.

Registration