TNAG-1874-FCO40-2665-Relations-between-Hong-Kong-and-other-British-Dependent-Terr-1989 — Page 139

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Thorda Abbot-Watt

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28 JAN 1989

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16

CONSERVATION IN THE DEPENDENT TERRITORIES: 'FRAGMENTS OF PARADISE'

13

1. In your letter of 27 November you asked for comments on the report by the British Association of Nature Conservationists.

2. The Falkland Islands Government is already very much alive to the importance of conservation, especially given the way that it critically affects two of the major alternatives to sheep farming as a source of revenue, namely fishing and tourism. In 1986 the Falkland Islands Interim Conservation and Management Zone was established to stop the over-fishing that threatened the long-term future of the fisheries around the Islands. The number of licences available to fishing fleets in 1988 has been reduced, on conservation grounds. This is an example of FIG placing long-term conservation goals ahead of short-term financial gain.

3.

The success or failure of tourism, which is primarily undertaken to view the wildlife of the Islands, will also depend upon stringent conservation measures.

4.

The FIG therefore has a strong incentive to pay attention to conservation. However, while it might make good sense for FIG to designate an official as responsible for conservation matters, it is unlikely that FIG would be able to spare one official to work full-time on conservation matters in a territory with such a small population, and an already over-stretched civil service. Similarly, resources will probably not permit the formation of a local liaison group' to co-ordinate action relating to conservation in the Dependent Territories. However, these points are really for

FIG to consider.

5. We have a number of detailed comments on the text of the reports:

(a) Page 28, paragraph 2. "Recently a 150 mile fisheries zone has been introduced but this will be difficult to police". A more accurate impression would be conveyed if Falkland Islands Interim Conservation and Management Zone (FICZ) was used rather than "fishing zone". The same point applies to paragraph 3 on page 185. The experience of the first season has not thrown up any particularly difficult enforcement problems.

UNCLASSIFIED

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