Charity joint-working 'will make a difference' to Manx biodiversity

Manx Wildlife Trust looks after conservation on the Calf of Man for Manx National Heritage

A new agreement between two Isle of Man charities will "make a real difference" in improving biodiversity on the island, the organisations have said.

Manx National Heritage (MNH) and Manx Wildlife Trust (MWT) have signed a memorandum of understanding, which will lead to joint-working in the future.

MWT's Leigh Morris said it would help the charities "deliver strong things".

MNH's Edmund Southworth added that it would ensure they did not "compete" with each other.

As well as being responsible for historic attractions, MNH owns large parts of the Manx countryside, such as the Calf of Man nature reserve, while MWT is the Isle of Man's largest conservation charity.

The charities have already agreed to work together with the Department for Environment, Food and Agriculture, on a wildlife conservation project, which is due to begin in 2021 with the aim of rebuilding the island's biodiversity through the restoration of animal and plant habitats.

Mr Morris said to "fix the big issues", organisations needed to get out of their "silos and work together", while Mr Southworth said the understanding would ensure they communicated "regularly and meaningfully".

He said working together would "make a difference" and the next step would be to "develop action plans".