New set of biodiversity goals outlined for Bermuda and OTs
A vision for biodiversity in Bermuda has been set out, including a review of environmental legislation.
The sweeping document has won praise from Noelle Young, sustainability activist and Bermuda consultant for Greenpeace UK.
The 121-page UK Overseas Territories Biodiversity Strategy, published on the British Government’s website on November 28, aligns with its approach to partnership with the territories and agreements at the 2024 Joint Ministerial Council.
The report said it signalled “a new era of collaboration and communication between our governments, united for nature”.
Britain has worked with each territory to set out long-term priorities for nature with the support of the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, the public body that advises the UK Government on conservation.
The paper presents a “single joint ambition of the UK Government and governments and administrations of the OTs to conserve, protect, and restore biodiversity”.
In a joint statement, Stephen Doughty, the Minister for the British Overseas Territories, and Mary Creagh, the Minister for Nature, said their ambition was to “unite administrations, agencies and communities” to build resilient communities and safeguard “irreplaceable” species.
The Royal Gazette has asked the Bermuda Government about its involvement and whether local experts were consulted.
The report cites sources from as far back as a 2001 Biodiversity Country Study and as recent as the Sargasso Sea Commission in 2024.
Other references include the Hamilton Declaration on collaboration for the conservation of the Sargasso Sea, 2014, and information online from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
Six joint goals stand out: to reconnect people with nature; develop skills and talent; maximise opportunities for funding, partnership and collaboration; strengthen and implement management and regulatory frameworks; enhance environmental resilience; and champion the benefits of nature.
The report calls for legislative updates in Bermuda to strengthen marine and terrestrial planning.
It highlights pollution and biosecurity, while developing best practice guidance and incentives to promote sustainable tourism, fishery and farming.
It said Bermuda could strengthen enforcement and compliance such as through the Blue Belt Ocean Shield programme to “reduce illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and harmful shipping activity”.
The report supports the Sargasso Sea Commission’s work reinforcing commitments to international environmental agreements to protect the high seas.
Bermuda’s goals for funding, partnership and collaboration include a review of public and private investment and commitments to habitat restoration.
It calls for efforts to court external investment and promote alternative funding streams for conservation.
Such moves would continue the work of the Bermuda Ocean Prosperity Programme, a partnership between the Government of Bermuda, the Waitt Institute and Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences on marine conservation and blue economy initiatives.
The section on enhancing environmental resilience looks to create and implement “new marine protected areas to safeguard critical marine habitats” while updating species recovery plans and tackling invasive species.
It calls for the implementation of evidence-based conservation management plans and environmental impact assessments for all development — and stronger management and reporting frameworks for nature reserve zones.
Other goals include improving environmental education and more open consultation to integrate conservation into industry and development.
Specialist policymaking, monitoring and reporting training for government and conservation staff is suggested along with raising awareness of environmental career pathways.
Ms Young said: “I’m encouraged by the new UK Overseas Territories Biodiversity Strategy.
“It’s wonderful to see such a strong emphasis on incorporating the knowledge and lived experience of indigenous and local communities. Recognising that type of wisdom is a powerful step towards protecting the people and places we love.
“I would welcome further clarity regarding the local organisations/people consulted in the development of the national strategy, as well as details on how community engagement will be integrated into future processes.”
The report said that Bermuda’s subtropical climate supported 6,103 native species and 552 endemics — more than any other territory listed.
Among them are important pollinators and soil forming species and the island’s only surviving endemic terrestrial vertebrate, the Bermuda skink.
Other critically endangered species include the cahow, island’s national bird, and Governor Laffan’s Fern, which is verging on extinct in the wild.
The Castle Harbour Islands Nature Reserve, which is a Unesco World Heritage Site and an important bird area, is listed as a biodiversity hotspot.
The report added: “As the only landmass in the Sargasso Sea, Bermuda’s waters are crucial breeding and nursery habitats for many endangered species, while the island’s coral reef habitats provide vital coastal protection.
“Bermuda’s natural heritage is crucial for its economy, identity and way of life, supporting a large tourist industry and artisanal fisheries. However, high population density, ongoing land development, erosion, pollution and climate change create ongoing challenges for its conservation and protection.”
Mr Doughty and Ms Creagh added: “Biodiversity in the territories is globally significant and locally unique.
“Home to over 90 per cent of species unique to the UK, the territories and their oceans host plants, fungi and animals found nowhere else on earth.”
They warned of the vulnerability of small, low-lying islands to environmental disruption and climate change.
They added: “Every effort needs to be made to conserve, protect and restore nature in these unique places.”
The Bermuda Government was approached for comment along with the Foreign Office and Government House.
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