Land-use change is one of five main drivers of biodiversity loss. For many UKOTs, including Montserrat, piecemeal development of land is seen as a major threat to biodiversity. For Montserrat, following the destruction of the largest town in the late 1990s volcanic eruption, development for housing is an ongoing necessity. Successive Island-plans have recognised Montserrat’s natural resources as important assets in economic growth and sustainability, but, to date, there has been limited practical support or detailed guidance on how to integrate biodiversity conservation adequately into built-development practices. Since 2010 when the last island development plan was published, there has been an explosion of research linking biodiversity with human health and well-being.

Built-developments can provide an opportunity for biodiversity to flourish; however if not encouraged or widely promoted, they can result in localised biodiversity-loss and accidental or deliberate introduction of non-native species that can ultimately become invasive, resulting in negative impacts on biodiversity and ecosystems, human health and/or the economy.