Today marks World Environment Day, and in recognition of this I am delighted to see the Government invest in protecting rare wildlife and vulnerable habitats. £10.9 million has been awarded to this global project to protect and preserve Chimpanzee in Uganda to coral reef and turtles in the British Virgin Islands. It is important that we protect these animals and habitats for future generations.
17 projects have been identified to receive £5.7 million through the Darwin initiative over the next 3 years with a further 21 projects receiving £5.2 million through the Darwin Plus scheme. The funding outlined will help protect numerous habitats all around the world including coral reefs, wetlands, forests and species such as Chimpanzees, turtles, penguins, rare birds and much more.
Since 1992 the Darwin initiative has done an incredible job funding 1,200 projects across 159 different countries. These initiatives are vital to protect the future and preserve wildlife and their habitats. In an expanding world they face unprecedented challenges and I believe we must do what we can, working together to learn and protect them.
