On September 7th the British Irish Council (BIC) Environment group met in Edinburgh to discuss biodiversity. This was attended by Department of Environment Food and Agriculture (DEFA) Minister, Phil Gawne, DEFA Chief Executive Richard Lole and Liz Charter, Principal Biodiversity officer.  Also present were Ministers and senior officials from the other seven BIC members – the UK and Irish Governments; the devolved Scottish and Welsh Governments and the Northern Ireland Executive; and the States of Jersey and Guernsey.
 
On the agenda was the importance of all member-administrations working together to tackle invasive non-native species, both on land and in the sea. The cost of control of non-native species in the U.K. is estimated to be £1.7 billion a year and this is increasing with increased transport and travel.  In the Isle of Man, we are already seeing increasing cost associated with invasive species such as Phytophthora in plantations, Dutch elm disease, Himalayan balsam and Japanese knotweed. It is estimated that these are costing government a minimum of £300,000 on these four species this year.
 
The delegates also viewed an excellent presentation about the 2020 Vision project which uses superb photography to draw attention to the beauty of the natural world and highlight the free benefits biodiversity provides. http://www.2020v.org/.
 
Ahead of the meeting at Vogrie Country Park in Midlothian, Ministers from all member administrations took part in a ‘BioBlitz’ with pupils from a local school, during which they gathered information and recorded as many species as they could within an area of the Park.
 
The next meeting, in May 2014, is to be hosted by the Isle of Man and is expected to be on the theme of Sustainable Consumption and Production, for example marine spatial planning.
 
Minister for DEFA, Phil Gawne MHK said, “The Isle of Man welcomes sustainable energy generation and offshore wind. It is very important that the administrations around the Irish Sea communicate and work together on marine planning issues. The potential conflict which can occur is illustrated by the proposals for wind farms between us and UK ports, raising serious concerns for ferry companies and the Manx economy.”  Mr Gawne went on to say, “we are seeking new ways to demonstrate the sustainability of our economy, through exploring the proposal to designate the Isle of Man and its waters as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.”
 
Photo caption - Accompanying photograph shows Minister Phil Gawne MHK and Chief Executive Officer of DEFA, Richard Lole at the summit.