Raising Awareness

Throughout our work, we have strived to include activities which raise awareness of the UKOTs and CDs amongst the public and institutions in the UK, EU and elsewhere. Although the channels to do this have changed over time, the message is still the same. The UKOTs have globally important biodiversity and UK shares responsibility towards safeguarding and protecting them.

Jewel anemones, south of Burroo; Copyright: Maura Mitchell
Jewel anemones, south of Burroo, Isle of Man; Copyright: Maura Mitchell
Media

With an ever-expanding catalogue of still images and video, which has been collected over 30 years of site visits and project work, several short films have been created. These include “Grand Turk – Birds on Your Doorstep” and “Montserrat – Birding in Paradise”. Further videos are in preparation and will be uploaded on to our Youtube site.

We are often contacted by researchers, media and journalists to provide background information and an insight in to conservation challenges in the UKOTs; keeping track of this is always a little difficult but here are some examples.

Selection of articles: 

Costing the Earth “Britain Rules the Waves“

Link to article by BBC/Guardian journalist Roger Harrabin “British territories’ environment ‘at risk“

Link to article on East Caicos by Fred Pearce “On an Unspoiled Caribbean Isle, Grand Plans for Big Tourist Port“

Newsletters

Twice per year, we publish a newsletter, Forum News. It aims to provide information on latest events in the UKOTs, our work in support of local bodies and recent happenings. It is circulated widely in the UK, UKOTs and internationally.

We produce also newsletters for each of our working groups, Europe Territories, Southern Ocean Territories and Wider Caribbean Working Group.

With all project work, we see newsletters also as an important way to document successes and circulate these easily within the UKOTs where we are working. One example, is our Save Our Special Nature of Montserrat newsletters.

Linking with other initiatives

In 2015, major contributions of time were dedicated to supporting Stewart McPherson’s Britain’s Treasure Islands project, recognising that this was an opportunity to raise the profile, in the UK and beyond, of the UKOTs and their exceptionally important wildlife.

As well as general advice relating to the project, this involved helping to raise funds for, supplying content for and commenting on the 10-minute video shorts for each territory, advising on the television series Britain’s Treasure Islands, and editing the accompanying book chapters (although editorial control remained with Stewart). In addition, an event at the Royal Geographical Society (RGS) in London was organised by Stewart, with substantial help and funding from the Forum. 

The Caribbean Birding Trail (CBT), developed by BirdsCaribbean, in collaboration with many partners throughout the Caribbean, aims to help residents and travellers “connect to the rich cultural and natural history of the Caribbean islands through birds”. The Forum put a lot of effort in to supplying information for both Montserrat and Turks and Caicos. This information was incorporated in to the CBT website, which is now live.

Presentations

We are often invited to talk about the biodiversity and habitats in the UKOTs. Some examples of these include:

  • Young Fabian Society talk on biodiversity in the UKOTs
  • Various contributions to the All Party Parliamentary Group on Biodiversity, and organising presentations and receptions in conjunction with the Chair of the APPG on Overseas Territories, as well as other Parliamentary events.
  • School presentations on wildlife found in the UKOTs
  • Marine conservation in the UKOTs at University of Exeter as part of “Ocean Optimism” 
  • Trails for conservation in the Turks and Caicos Islands at the British Bird Fair
  • Invertebrates on Montserrat
  • Lecture at the Royal Geographical Society in support of Stewart McPherson’s Britain’s Treasure Islands.
  • Lectures for natural history and ornithological societies in Britain.
Publications 

Dr Phoebe Carter took part in some turtle monitoring on a voluntary basis while residing in the Cyprus Sovereign Base Areas. As part of this, she wrote an article for the Marine Scientist Magazine, which examined sea turtle monitoring in the Cyprus Sovereign Base Areas but also included a wider overview of the many conservation projects/activities in the UKOTs. As a follow up to this she also published an article in Sanctuary Magazine,

In 2010, Dr Pienkowski was invited to write a chapter on the UKOTs for Silent Summer: The State of Wildlife in Britain and Ireland by Norman Maclean. This gave an insight in to some of the challenges faced by the UKOTs and some important differences from the situation in Britain and Ireland.

Our Publications page gives a full list of those available on this web-site.

Social media

We regularly update our social media platforms both sharing information from around the UKOTs, but also our own activities in support of conservation bodies there.