Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the role that the UK Overseas Territories Environment and Climate Fund (Darwin Plus) plays in delivering on (a) the UK Overseas Territories Biodiversity Strategy and (b) the UK's international environmental commitments.

Most Darwin Plus projects last around 2 years so the majority of those approved in the first round in 2012 (starting work in April 2013) are still on-going. As a result no formal evaluation of the impact of Darwin Plus projects has yet taken place.

To obtain funding, applicants must demonstrate that the project will contribute to key UK Overseas Territories’ (UKOT) environmental priorities (including the Overseas Territories Biodiversity Strategy and the annual Joint Ministerial Council Communiqué).

Projects are required to provide progress reports during the life of the project, and a final report at the end. These reports will be reviewed to assess how well projects have met their objectives. Once we have a range of completed projects available for evaluation we intend to make an assessment of how the portfolio of Darwin Plus projects has contributed to the delivery of the UK Overseas Territories Biodiversity Strategy and the UK’s international environmental commitments that have been extended to the OTs.