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Apr 25 - MOD Conservation Initiative Launched

cbf dr cortes Commander British Forces Commodore John Clink and Minister for Environment Dr John Cortes this week officially signed an Integrated Rural Management Plan (IRMP) that covers the whole of the MOD sites in Gibraltar including Buffadero Training Camp.

The MOD has been progressively developing an integrated management planning approach since 1995 and it is MOD policy to ensure that natural environment issues are fully integrated with operational and training requirements and highlighted safety issues.

Cdr Clink welcomed the group and re-affirmed his commitment to the IRMP from both himself and his command. ‘This is a unique part of Gibraltar and as part of our overall sustainable strategy we have worked in collaboration with the Government of Gibraltar and all conservation societies to ensure the IRMP is an effective tool which will help us deliver MOD policy.’

Buffadero Training Camp is 37 Acres of scrub covered land which is regularly used to train our forces and emergency services.  There is a balance required in order to keep our security and emergency personnel highly trained while preserving the land in which we train and the IRMP is a strategic land management plan which provides a framework in which to do that.

Future decisions for the site are made in full consultation with the Governmental Department for the Environment and conservation groups. Nicolas Andrews-Gauvain, Environmental Advisor within Defence Infrastructure Organisation gave a presentation highlighting the benefits of joint working and communication: “Military training and conservation can go hand in hand, Salisbury Plain is a good example of how a Special Area of Conservation can be managed while still providing an excellent military training facility, the IRMP for Gibraltar is based on the existing IRMP for Salisbury Plain.”

The inclusion of Gibraltar in the initiative was good news for Dr Keith Bensusan, Head of the Strait of Gibraltar Bird Observatory. He noted, ‘this is music to my ears and a lot of goodwill has gone into this. It is an important area for wildlife and biology and essential for the migration of birds. The IRMP goes a long way to addressing continuing conservation issues and it has provided a road map for the management of the site.’

Buffadero is a very important site for bird migration and there is also an active programme to captive breed endangered species to release into the wild and rehabilitate injured birds. Since the programme started there have been around 1000 birds rescued and rehabilitated.