Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to protect biodiversity on the Pitcairn Islands.

HMG works closely with the Pitcairn Island Council, the Pitcairn community and other stakeholders on the protection of biodiversity on the Pitcairn Islands. We are currently drafting a revised Pitcairn Ordinance (Law) on environmental protection to entrench these protections further.

The Government is also currently funding, through Darwin Plus, a project to develop a sustainable marine and fisheries management plan for the Pitcairn Islands.

We have committed to working constructively with the Pitcairn Island Council, and other stakeholders to see if there are practical solutions for more affordable enforcement, including enhanced international co-operation, alternative sources of funding, and innovative methods to achieve the same objective.