Threatened species and precious habitats to be better protected with new funding boost for overseas conservation projects

Threatened species and precious habitats to be better protected with new funding boost for overseas conservation projects - Defra

New funding for local projects across 12 UK Overseas Territories and 36 developing countries over the next five years

The package will support local action to restore nature, reduce poverty and address climate change around the world
This will help protect 1.5 million hectares of forest in Bolivia, recover St Helena’s cloud forest and support critically endangered eagles in the Philippines

Vital ecosystems and threatened species such as tigers, Philippine eagles, reef sharks, Amazon parrots and sea turtles across the globe are set to benefit from new government funding announced today (Thursday 9th October).

80 local projects spread across 36 developing countries and 12 UK Overseas Territories, will be funded with the aim of restoring ecosystems, safeguarding nature, securing food and water supplies and improving lives.

Supporting nature restoration across the world is a crucial part of protecting the long-term health of our economy. More than half of the global economy is estimated to be dependent in some way on the ecosystem services that nature provides.

Some of the projects receiving funding include:

Bolivian forests - UK investment will help protect up 1.5 million hectares of vital forest, prevent the loss of 200,000 hectares, generate new income for indigenous communities, and secure water supplies.
Cloud forest of St Helena – A unique cloud forest which locals depend upon for capturing fresh water will be protected through a project led by the RSPB which will improve water security, and address the key threats of plant pathogens and invasive species.
Eagles in the Philippines - A project led by Botanic Gardens Conservation International will help restore the highly biodiverse tropical rainforest of the Pantaron Mountain Range, while improving the livelihoods of local indigenous communities and promoting the protection of the endemic and critically endangered Philippine eagle.