Ministers and senior officials from UK Overseas Territories (UKOTs) and Crown Dependencies (CDs) met online on 6th February 2026 to discuss the future of the environment in their jurisdictions. This was the tenth meeting of the Council of Environment Ministers (or equivalents) of UK Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies and took place on the Zoom platform of their secretariat, the UK Overseas Territories Conservation Forum . Previous meetings took place in Gibraltar in 2015, Alderney in 2017, the Isle of Man in February 2018 and online in April 2021,  October 2022, May & November 2023, May 2024 and March 2025.

The meeting was chaired by Hon. Professor John Cortés, Gibraltar’s Minister  for Education, the Environment, Sustainability, Climate Change, Heritage, Transport and Technical Servces, and coordinated by the UK Overseas Territories Conservation Forum (UKOTCF), a non-governmental organisation.

At the meeting were representatives from Anguilla,  Ascension, Cayman Islands, , Gibraltar, Guernsey, Isle of Man, Jersey, Montserrat, St Helena, Tristan da Cunha and the Turks and Caicos Islands, with apologies from the Falkland Islands.

Although very different in character, finances and their relationships with UK, the islands all boast beautiful environments that are important to economies and way of life. In terms of biodiversity, the UK Overseas Territories hold over 90% of the world biodiversity for which UK is responsible internationally. Many of these species, such as the Montserrat Oriole and St Helena Wirebird, occur nowhere else in the world.  UK Overseas Territories support more penguins than does any other nation.

An agreed statement was issued and can be seen here.

The meeting photo above shows some, but not all, of the participants. Those included are, from left to right, by rows from the top:

Dr Mike Pienkowski, Chairman, UK Overseas Territories Conservation Forum (UKOTCF) & Mrs Ann Pienkowski, Joint Chairman UKOTCF Wider Caribbean Working Group (both Secretariat);

Dr Ken Milne, Director of Environment, Hon. Clare Barber MHK, Minister, Dr Richard Selman, Ecosystem Policy Manager, (all Department of Environment, Food & Agriculture, Isle of Man)

Hon. Prof. John Cortés, Minister for Education, the Environment, Sustainability, Climate, Heritage, Transport and Technical Services, Gibraltar

Mr Jim Robinson, Director Natural Environment, States of Guernsey

Mr Willie Peggie, Group Director of Natural Environment, Jersey

Deputy Adrian Gabriel, President of the Committee for the Environment & Infrastructure, Guernsey

Ms Melissa Meade, Principal Assistant Secretary, Ministry of Economic Development, Industry, Commerce, Planning, Lands, Water and Natural Resources, Anguilla

Mr Wayne Panton,  (former Premier, Cayman Islands

Mr Andy Schofield, Environmental Policy Officer, Tristan da Cunha

Mr Barry Mahabir, Principal Environmental Officer, Ministry of Agriculture, Lands, Housing & Environment, Montserrat

Ms Tracy Knight, UK Representative & Head of London Office, Turks and Caicos Islands

Hon. Kyle Hodge, Minister of Sustainability, Innovation and the Environment, Anguilla

Ascension Island Marine Team (Ms Tiffany Simpson, Director of Conservation and Fisheries)

Mr Darren Duncan, Head of Environment, Natural Resources and Planning Department, St Helena

Ms Deja Charles, Deputy Director, Department of Environment and Coastal Resources, Turks and Caicos Islands

Ms Kedell Warboys, UK Representative, St Helena

Stephen Warr, Chief Executive, Department of the Environment,  Heritage and Climate Change,Gibraltar

Mr Lucas Everitt, Sustainable Futures, AtkinsRéalis

Mr Leigh Morris, UK Overseas Territories Conservation Forum; & Director International, The Wildlife Trusts

Mr Nigel Cheesley, Head of Sustainability for Lloyds Bank International in the Crown Dependencies

Ms Rowan Henthorn,  Isle of Man Government

Mr Samuel Pike, Environment Systems Ltd

Mr Amdeep Sanghera & Ms Emily Bunce (both Marine Conservation Society).