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Welcome to the latest quarterly news update from the Blue Belt Programme.
In this edition read about a new landmark report on the biodiversity and coral reefs of the Pitcairn Islands, an update on work in the Turks & Caicos Islands, and the first in our series of person spotlights.
Pitcairn's citizen scientists highlight it as a biodiversity superpower
 Coral reefs, Henderson Island. Photo: Luke Hosty, Protect Blue
Volunteers from the Pitcairn Islands have showcased the incredible biodiversity thriving in their vast and remote waters.
A new report – based on the data collected by the Pitcairn community in November 2021 – has revealed the islands’ Pacific Ocean waters are home to an abundance of rare marine life, including endangered humpback whales, sharks and more than 200 species of fish.
Ducie and Henderson were found to have some of the highest biodiversity in the subtropics, says the report prepared by Blue Abacus and supported by scientists from the Centre for the Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas).
The abundance and diversity of species is also attributed to the Pitcairn Island’s healthy coral reefs, which have so far avoided some of the worst impacts of climate change. Further research looking specifically at these unique coral reef ecosystems found little evidence of bleaching from heat stress.
Due to the clarity of the water, these reefs stretch down to deeper, cooler waters compared to most other tropical coral reefs, which offer some protection from rising sea temperatures caused by climate change.
The Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) are known for being incredibly biodiverse and is home to a range of habitats including mangroves, tidal flats, marshlands and coral reefs, including the third largest barrier reef in the world.
During a recent technical visit, led by the TCI’s Department of Environment and Coastal Resources (DECR) and building on Protected Area Management Effectiveness (PAME) training that we had delivered remotely, Blue Belt specialists Marianne Teoh and Lois Duff engaged stakeholders across multiple sectors in a series of workshops to evaluate the management effectiveness of three protected areas.
Our new blog from Lois Duff outlines how we’re supporting the Turks and Caicos Department of Environment & Coastal Resources to ensure effective marine protection.
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During November and December, the Blue Belt Programme’s Discovery expedition (DY159) surveyed the marine environments around Ascension Island and St Helena.
This major interdisciplinary expedition made new discoveries across the two Marine Protected Areas and collected information that will support their sustainable management and protection.
The data is now in the early stages of being processed, with the physical specimens collected onboard due to arrive in the UK in April. Later in the year, we look forward to unveiling our documentary about the expedition, and share more of the findings as they emerge.
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Each quarterly newsletter we'll shine the spotlight on the work of someone supporting the Blue Belt Programme, this month we hear from Joanna Harper.
"I’m one of the Project Support Officers within the Programme Management Office (PMO), where I’ve worked for 18 months. The PMO play an important role in delivering MMO’s global programmes, including the Blue Belt and Ocean Country Partnership Programmes (OCPP).
"My main focus during the last few months has been getting people out to countries for Blue Belt and OCPP fieldwork, which includes booking flights, hotels, trains, car hire, parking, whatever it is they need.
"I’m a key member of the Global Marine Team. I co-ordinates events and meetings, supporting all requirements from sending out calendar invites, setting out agendas and booking travel and accommodation, taking minutes and actions at the meetings and circulate to all attendees.
"I assist the MMO Global Marine team to achieve its business objectives by providing efficient and effective running of the programme management office.
It’s always been a joy to work for the MMO. I’m learning about things every day and I love the variety. No day is ever the same."
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