A Sense of Direction Bermuda 2003

Bermuda hosted the international environment conference from 22nd to 27th March 2003, with a focus on UKOTs and other small islands.

Conference participants. Copyright: UKOTCF
Conference participants. Copyright: UKOTCF

The conference was organised jointly by UKOTCF, the Bermuda National Trust, the Bermuda Zoological Society, the Bermuda Audubon Society, and the Bermuda Ministry of the Environment. It was the third such conference following those held in London and in Gibraltar.

The conference provided a forum for government environmental agencies and NGOs to discuss key conservation issues, to highlight success stories, exchange ideas, and to forge partnerships. It was planned that Overseas Territories, and other small island communities that share similar environmental problems, should benefit from Bermuda’s experiences and history of planning and conservation initiatives. Bermuda planned to learn from the success of environmental programmes tried and tested elsewhere.

The main topics were determined after wide consultations amongst conservationists working in the Overseas Territories. The sessions were:

  • Environmental Charters and strategic planning
  • Managing conservation organisations
  • Implementing management plans
  • Climate change
  • Dealing with invasive species

The full proceedings can be downloaded here.