On Wednesday 22 September, the Falkland Islands 'Executive Council, ExCo agreed on the provision of a capital grant of up to £1m and a loan facility of up to £750,000 to support the Falkland Islands Museum & National Trust (FIMNT) to progress the development and construction of the new Lookout Gallery and Exhibition Hall. The package is designed to mitigate ongoing financial pandemic pressures, including the continued absence of international tourism.
Last Friday 10 September 2021, the Falkland Islands port project received ExCo (Executive Council) approval to proceed to Stage One B, Detailed Design, which will take place over the next 13 months. Stage One A began in July 2020 and involved an extensive series of stakeholder workshops, surveys, demand studies and environmental assessments in order to produce the initial Concept Design for the new facility.
Today, the Falkland Islands Government is pleased to launch its new strategy to address prevailing pressures across the housing system and identify opportunities for improvement. Housing for our Future outlines a long-term vision for housing in the Falkland Islands and sets the direction for housing-related policies over a 10-year period, as we work towards delivering affordable, good quality and appropriate rental and ownership options for the whole of the Falkland Islands community.
The Falkland Islands Government launched on Monday its flagship Environment Strategy 2021 – 2040, which recognises the central and universal role that the natural environment plays in the sustainable development of our health and wellbeing, our economy and our nation as a whole.
The Falkland Islands Government has received a batch of Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccines, supplied by the UK government. These 960 doses arrived on 12 August and are being rolled out as part of the ongoing vaccination programme which began in February.
Following the success of the Tourism Recovery Incentive Program – or TRIP scheme – which ran from October 2020 until May 2021, the Falkland Islands Government will be running a survey to understand what aspects of the scheme went well and where improvements can be made.
An independent study of the Falkland Islands finfish fishery has found that lack of international cooperation over fish stocks straddling international boundaries to be one of ‘the most constraining factors to sustainable ecological and economic management of the [Falklands’] finfish fishery,’ adding that ‘it is also likely to have disastrous outcomes; a prediction supported by the current status of many, although not all, of the finfish stocks.’
‘Clean’ expedition ships carrying fewer than 530 passengers will be allowed to visit the Falkland Islands this Southern summer under a new visitor policy approved by the Falkland Islands Government this week.
The population of the Falkland Islands is set to grow by an average of 2% a year over the next fifteen years, according to a State of the Economy report published by the Falkland Islands Government.
Argos Resources has successfully secured a 12-month extension to the second term of its Production Licence in the North Falkland Basin, the company announced this week. The extension, which runs until 1 May 2022, was approved by the Falkland Islands Government’s Executive Council on March 24.