MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Darwin Plus projects in Falklands, and UK Prime Minister’s ODA (Development Assistance) Announcement

Falklands Conservation is working with ‘Habitat restoration and species re-introductions on four Falklands island reserves (£303,425)’ (Pic Falklands Conservation)

On the 25 February, the UK Prime Minister announced that the UK will increase defence spending to 2.5% of UK gross national income (GNI) from 2027. This will fund the capabilities, technology and industrial capacity vital to keep the UK and allies safe amid an era of renewed state conflict.

This uplift will be funded through reductions to UK Official Development Assistance (ODA, also known as overseas aid) spend from 0.5% to 0.3% of GNI. At present, roughly 30% of Darwin Plus is funded through ODA.

Therefore, overall program management for Darwin Plus relies upon understanding where ODA funding will still support our work.

What does this mean for applications in Round 13 Darwin Plus (Main, People & Skills, and Strategic) and Round 5 Darwin Plus Local?

Defra will wait for greater certainty over the affordability of grants before deciding if we are able to fund the proposals still under consideration. We will keep prospective grantees updated as we hear more.

We expect to provide an update in July or August.

What does this mean for new launches?

At this point, we don’t have any further information on new funding rounds, except that Defra is temporarily pausing the launch of new funding rounds under Darwin Plus. Again, we expect to provide an update in July or August We will update the website and Biodiversity Challenge Funds social media as we receive more information about future funding rounds.

Darwin Plus has supported 43 projects in the Falkland Islands and currently in involved in six, as follows,

12 DPLUS216
Supporting Atlantic territories invertebrate conservation (£399,173)
Buglife 01/04/2024 - 30/06/2027; Anguilla, Ascension Island, Bermuda, Falkland Islands

12 DPLUS208
Conserving cetacean biodiversity in the Falkland Islands (£258,416)

Falklands Conservation
01/07/2024 - 31/03/2027
Falkland Islands

12 DPLUS206
Climate impacts on FI past, present and future freshwater dynamics (£184,302)
SAERI - South Atlantic Environmental Research Institute
01/07/2024 - 31/12/2026
Falkland Islands

11 DPLUS182
Habitat restoration and species re-introductions on four Falklands island reserves (£303,425)
Falklands Conservation
01/04/2023 - 31/03/2026
Falkland Islands

10 DPLUS174
A cross-UKOT camera network to enhance marine predator conservation (£397,757)
Oxford Brookes University - LS
01/05/2022 - 30/03/2025
Ascension Island, British Antarctic Territory, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands, St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha

10 DPLUS175
Enhancing monitoring and prevention of invasive non-native species across UKOTs (£299,249)
UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) - Wallingford
01/07/2022 - 31/03/2025
Anguilla, Bermuda, British Antarctic Territory, British Indian Ocean Territory, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, SBAs of Akrotiri & Dhekelia (Cyprus), South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands, St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, Turks and Caicos Islands