Despite having an on-island population of approximately 40 people, the Pitcairn Islands manage the third largest continuous and highly protected marine area in the world. Recently awarded a platinum-level Blue Park Award, the marine protected area (MPA) preserves a rare, …
By Emily Hardman, Blue Belt Programme Anguilla Lead, Marine Management Organisation and Melissa Meade, Principal Assistant Secretary, Ministry of Sustainability, Innovation and the Environment, Government of Anguilla. In February 2023, Anguilla joined the Blue Belt Programme as the second UK …
Recently a Blue Belt Programme team travelled to the Turks & Caicos Islands to support the facilitation of a workshop on Sargassum influxes. What is a Sargassum influx? Sargassum is a brown seaweed of the order of Fucales. Sargassum is …
In February 2024, the Blue Belt brought together representatives from each of the UK Overseas Territories for a landmark symposium in London. Over three busy days, presentations, workshops and exhibitions reflected on the Blue Belt Programme and work of the …
On the 26 November 2022, the Royal Research Ship (RRS) Discovery arrived in James Bay, St Helena. The vessel had journeyed over 4000 miles from the UK, bringing an excellent team of scientists and technical crew specialised in deep-sea and …
Imagine being able to see life in some of the most unexplored oceans on earth? This is the reality for scientists and partners who are part of the Global Ocean Wildlife Analysis Network (GOWAN), a global network of underwater cameras …
Imagine being able to see life in some of the most unexplored oceans on earth? This is the reality for scientists and partners who are part of the Global Ocean Wildlife Analysis Network (GOWAN), a global network of underwater cameras …
The sub-Antarctic South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (SGSSI) are a UK Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic, approximately 1,400 km northeast of the Antarctic Peninsula. They are home to a globally important, diverse and distinct marine ecosystem, with …
On 9th May two staff members from St Helena Government’s Marine and Fisheries Conservation section, Kirsty Jones and I (Leeann Henry), visited the UK as part of a Blue Belt Programme funded three-week training and exposure trip. What is the …
In February 2023 I joined representatives from across the UK Government’s Blue Belt Programme who travelled to Vancouver, Canada, to participate in the 5th International Marine Protected Areas Congress (IMPAC5). The tone for the week was set by an opening …
The Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) are a tropical Atlantic archipelago located 575 miles southeast of Miami, Florida, and 75 miles north of the Dominican Republic. There are approximately 100 named islands and cays, 9 of which are populated. TCI …