The Montserrat National Trust will be teaming up with the University of Oxford on a new project to capture marine data over the next three years.
A cross-UKOT camera network to enhance marine predator conservation is the name of the project which was approved in Round 28 of the UK-funded Darwin Initiative.
Funded to the tune of £397,757.00, the project is to end March 30, 2025.
The aim of the project is to improve Overseas Territories’ ability to collect the evidence needed for the conservation of marine species, which has been limited by resource constraints.
“Recent technology applications of drones and timelapse cameras to seabird and seal monitoring have enormous potential to provide such evidence at modest cost,” the project summary noted. “We will train OTs and help them test new methods to collect evidence on their priority taxa and protected areas and develop a reporting system that will enable policymakers from all Ots to rapidly interpret it.”
Other countries in the project are Ascension Island, British Antarctic Territory, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands, St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha.
The Darwin Initiative is a UK government grants scheme that helps protect biodiversity, the natural environment and the local communities that live alongside it in developing countries.
Most projects will include one or more of:
- building environmental knowledge
- capacity building
- research
- implementing international biodiversity agreements
Since 1992, the Darwin Initiative has awarded over £164m to more than 1,143 projects across 159 countries.
Apply for a Darwin Initiative, Darwin Plus grant here.
Source: Defra, UK Darwin Initiative: The Darwin Initiative – DPLUS174
