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Wildlife, Biodiversity and Protected Sites

Please click the relevant button(s) below to visit our webpages:

Biodiversity Strategy and Delivery Plan Manx Nature Conservation Forum

Protected Sites International Conventions

Wildlife

Protected Sites 

The Isle of Man has a variety of statutory protected sites, designated for their wildlife interest and habitats.  These include;

  • Areas of Special Scientific Interest
  • National Nature Reserves
  • Marine Nature Reserves
  • Ramsar Sites - internationally important wetlands
  • An Area of Special Protection
  • Bird Sanctuaries

For more information about the Isle of Man’s Protected Sites please click the relevant button above.

In addition the Isle of Man also has a number of non-statutory Protected Sites.

Wildlife 

For more information on;

  • The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)
  • Import and export of exotic animals and endangered species
  • Introduction of animals into the wild
  • Wildlife Licensing
  • Wildlife Surveying
  • Wildlife Strandings
  • Protected plants and animals
  • Wildlife FAQs

Please visit our Wildlife page by clicking the relevant button above.

Working in the conservation sector, projects often involve collaboration between organisations to achieve results that are acceptable to all parties and by cooperation can provide a more significant gain for wildlife.

Wildflowers of Mann

The Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture is involved in this major collaborative project to propagate Manx wildflowers and introduce them into appropriate areas by working with local people who are interested in their environment. The project is steered by a committee with representatives from a range of different organisations both within and outside of the Government.

Wildlife Committee

The Department considers advice from and asks advice of the Wildlife Committee, a group with members from within and outside of Government who meet to discuss wildlife and conservation issues, including the import and export of endangered species and matters relating to the Wildlife Act.

Research projects

The Department contracts and undertakes research to provide information on specific areas of interest. This has included an ecological survey of vegetation and habitats across the Island (see the surveys page) and work on protected species. Students sometimes undertake projects by agreement between the Department and their academic institution, to research issues of mutual interest.

Liaising with specialists in local groups

The Department values the specialist knowledge that other people have and therefore works towards liaising with such people where this can be of benefit to wildlife. An example is the relationship between the Department and the Manx Bat Group. DEFA can provide advice on bat issues on a statutory basis, but the Bat Group, as a local society, has volunteers that can respond to queries from home owners and others, using their detailed local knowledge of bats and advising from an independent view point. The 2 organisations benefit by liaising closely where coordinated action can achieve the best results.

Sustainability and the changing statuses of species

The Department contracts the annual monitoring of breeding birds in order to track changes in the countryside, the status of individual species and to guide advice provided by the Department, and regulatory and support regimes involving birds. The work is undertaken by Manx BirdLife and builds on their baseline atlas work. The results grow in value with each year of monitoring.

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