Turks & Caicos Islands to join Blue Belt Programme

#TurksandCaicos, May 27, 2022 – The Ministry of Tourism, Agriculture, Fisheries, Heritage and the Environment is excited to announce that the Turks and Caicos Islands will be joining the UK Government’s Blue Belt Programme. The Blue Belt Programme is a UK Government initiative to enhance marine protection and sustainable marine management across UK Overseas Territories.

“QUOTE”, stated Hon. Minister Josephine Connolly, Minister of Tourism.

The UK Overseas Territories are some of the most biologically interesting, and remote, places on Earth and are home to globally significant biodiversity. Cefas and MMO will be supporting the TCI

Since 2016 the Blue Belt Programme has worked closely with the British Overseas Territories to enhance the protection and sustainable management of their precious marine environments. This flagship programme has been central to the UK Government’s ambition of leading action to tackle the serious global problems of overfishing, species extinction and climate change. TCI becomes the first Caribbean UK Overseas Territory to join this flagship marine conservation Programme.

The Blue Belt Programme, one of the UK Government’s most ambitious environmental policies ever, is supported by two world-leading organisations – the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) and the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) on behalf of the UK government. These organisations provide expertise and technical resources in the fields of marine science, management, technology and enforcement to the Overseas Territories. The programme will directly benefit the TCI to ensure marine protection brings lasting benefits to the marine environment and local communities throughout 22/25