MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falklands, Darwin Plus successes, peatlands, tussac grass, Sei whales, protection of Rockhopper penguins

Since 2018, UK has supported green projects on the Falklands and South Atlantic by providing almost £1million a year on average.

The following lines were written by Katie-jo Luxton, director of conservation at the RSPB underlining the significance of the Darwin Plus scheme for the Falklands. “Falkland Islands Conservationists have warned that the UK Government’s retreat from environmental support there would “be a real concern”.

Since 2018, the UK has supported green projects on the remote South Atlantic archipelago by providing almost £1million a year on average. This has led to the restoration of carbon-rich peatlands on the British Overseas Territory, as well as the return of endangered sei whales and southern right whales - the latter of which was targeted by industrial whaling.

The work has contributed to preserving 3m-tall Tussac grass, which is important for almost all native birds, including albatrosses. Money from the Darwin Plus scheme also plays a part in protecting globally threatened rockhopper penguins 

The RSPB’s Sacha Cleminson has spent 11 years on the archipelago. He has raised concerns about the diminished Darwin Plus scheme which is vital for continuing the essential conservation work in the UK’s overseas territories.

Sacha said: “The pot has been shrinking, shrinking and shrinking. And now, we’re getting to the point with the spending review where we’re beginning to wonder whether the pot will disappear completely and there will be no support. I think that would be pretty bad from the perspective of both the climate and biodiversity side of things.”

“After Brexit, the then Chancellor Rishi Sunak increased the Darwin Plus pot, recognizing there was no access to EU money. But since 1 April this year, Darwin Plus has effectively been suspended. I know lots of organizations had applied for Darwin Plus funding in 2024. They still haven’t had an answer back on their applications back from last year which is really bad.

“The delay in applications from the government has been a real problem for organizations to retain staff and for planning projects in the future. It’s effectively just completely killed the ability of organizations to deliver these sorts of environmental projects. I completely understand it’s a difficult budget time. Absolutely, completely realize that, and the UK government has a really tough challenge on its hands but the reality is the knock on effects in places like the Falkland Islands.”

The groups in the Falklands cannot access international money pots because of the territory’s link to the UK. There has been no access to EU funding since Brexit and there is no access to nearly any private funding or statutory/farming subsidies available to landowners in the UK.

Sacha, the RSPB’s principal policy advisor, said: “We’re really worried that a retreat from Darwin Plus will effectively mean a distancing of the UK from the territories. And that’s not great - both from a political perspective and an environmental perspective.”

He added: “[The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs] has done a really, really good job in the last four years in making Darwin Plus work for the territories. It’s been a real success story for the British government and that has the potential to be lost which would be a terrible shame.”