News Archive
New Protection for BIOT’s Heritage Sites
On 23 October 2019 the BIOT Commissioner signed into law the Environmental Protection (Historic Sites and Monuments) Ordinance 2019, and the associated Designation of Historic Sites and Monuments Regulations 2019. The British Indian Ocean Territory Administration recognises the importance of the heritage of BIOT, both to those who have lived …
Remembrance Day 2019
The 11th of November marks the anniversary of the armistice which ended the First World War, on the same day in 1918. Today the United Kingdom, Commonwealth nations and our partners around the world will honour the sacrifices of those who gave their lives in that terrible war and other …
Lizards of BIOT Stamp Issue 14.10.19
On 14th October 2019, the British Indian Ocean Territory Administration released a set of three stamps and First Day Cover featuring species of lizard, which, although all not native to BIOT, are prolific in the Territory. House Gecko The House Gecko is so called because it is commonly seen on …
Master Pleads Guilty To Illegal Fishing In BIOT
The BIOT Administration, supported by Blue Belt programme, MRAG and European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) recently led a multi-agency response to intercept, detain and prosecute a Sri Lankan fishing vessel which was fishing illegally within the BIOT Marine Protected Area (MPA). To ensure the future protection of BIOT’s unique environment …
New 50p Turtles Commemorative Coin Series
From 15th August 2019, Pobjoy Mint began releasing a series of five 50p coins featuring sea turtles; the first ever British Indian Ocean Territory 50p commemorative coins. These were released approximately every 2-3 weeks until November 2019. The featured species, in order of release, are: Green Turtle (released 15th …
BIOT WWI Centenary Stamp Issue 11.11.18
On 11 November, to mark the Armistice at the end of the First World War, the British Indian Ocean Territory Administration is releasing a set of four stamps and a first day cover portraying different elements of the war: An anti-aircraft gun (60p) A tank, which were first used in …
Bertarelli Foundation BIOT Marine Science Symposium
On Tuesday 11 September, the Bertarelli Foundation’s first marine science symposium took place at the Royal Geographical Society, London. Speakers included some of the world’s leading marine scientists, presenting their work from a wide range of habitats, including open ocean, coral reefs and oceanic islands. The British Indian Ocean Territory’s …
BIOT Children’s Stamp Competition Issue 04.09.18
In March this year, the BIOT Administration launched a competition to design an official stamp for the Territory with the theme “Why are coral reefs and oceans important?”, tying into the International Year of the Reef: https://www.iyor2018.org/ The Administration was delighted with the positive response to the competition, receiving many …
Invasive Non-Native Species Secretariat visit to BIOT
Biosecurity is an inevitable challenge for such a remote and ecologically diverse Territory. Through collaboration with our US partners, the BIOT Administration is proud of our robust biosecurity protocols. However, we are all too aware of the potential devastation that could be caused if further invasive non-native species entered BIOT. …
Rats and Reefs
The devastation that rats, an invasive species, cause to the natural ecosystem of the British Indian Ocean Territory and to reefs around the world should not be underestimated. A new scientific study shows exactly how. Rats were first introduced to the Territory in the 1700s, arriving on ships, and have …