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Written question asked by Alicia Kearns (Conservative) on Wednesday, 18 November 2020, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 23 November 2020. It was answered by Wendy Morton (Conservative) on Thursday, 26 November 2020 on behalf of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Turks and Caicos Islands: Nature Conservation

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps are being taken to protect the (a) barking gecko and (b) other species endemic to the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Answer

The UK is providing technical advice and support to the Overseas Territories, including the Turks and Caicos Islands, to increase their capacity in dealing with the very real threats posed by invasive non-native species affecting biodiversity and endemic species such as the barking gecko and Turks and Caicos rock iguana.

Through the Darwin Plus funding scheme, UK funding has been used to support a project protecting the critically endangered Turks and Caicos rock iguana. This project addresses the need for effective biosecurity plans for two offshore islands in the Turks and Caicos Islands where there is an urgent need to protect threatened native wildlife, particularly globally important reptile populations, against invasive species. One of the project's key achievements is the stabilisation of the iguana population, leading to the reptile being downlisted on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List from Critically Endangered to Endangered in 2019.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
117386
Session
2019-21
Subjects
Nature conservation Turks and Caicos Islands Reptiles
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk