Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps officials in her Department are taking to work with representatives of the British Overseas Territory on establishing environmental strategies to protect biodiversity.

The UK Government continues to support the Overseas Territories on establishing environmental strategies to protect their unique biodiversity, including through various funds, such as the Darwin Plus, which provides funding for environmental projects, and the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund, which has supported pollution prevention, essential seabed mapping and navigational tools. Additionally, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has committed to fund the Blue Belt Programme for the next three years, which will continue to enhance marine protection of over four million square kilometres of ocean around the Overseas Territories and the sustainable management of marine economies.