CCT awarded nearly £1million in Darwin funding for Chagos rewilding projects

The Chagos Conservation Trust has been successful with its Darwin Plus Main and Local Programme applications, being awarded nearly £1million to undertake three Healthy Islands, Healthy Reefs (HIHR) nature restoration projects in the northern atolls - and largest island, Diego Garcia - of the Chagos Archipelago. 

Thanks to the support of the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's British Indian Ocean Territory Administration (BIOTA), the first phase of the project will begin this month - funding will support work till 2028. When all projects are complete, the longest chain of invasive predator-free islands (13) in the Indian Ocean will be created. It will enable the native wildlife, their habitats and natural Chagos environment to thrive, restoring the biodiversity of those islands and the waters that surround them, also helping to enhance climate change resilience. 

“This is the biggest operation of its kind in the tropics”, CCT Chair Chris Davies said proudly. “It follows years of CCT expert-led research and preparation, including invasive species eradication and vegetation management plans, all of which will act as an example for conservation and the management of Marine Protected Area (MPA) environments across the planet.”

“The Trust is delighted and grateful to be awarded funding to lead key conservation work in the Chagos during this important time,” CCT Director Sarah Puntan-Galea added. “This will allow the Trust to continue its work in-line with its strategic plan: to advance global understanding of the environmental importance of the Chagos islands, as well as undertaking conservation work to help protect the archipelago and its wildlife into the future.”

The first phase has already started, with an expedition team (made up of experts from project partners including Biodiversity Restoration Specialists, the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Orion Conservation Services and the Zoological Society of London) on its way to the archipelago to conduct assessments and implementing invasive species eradication plans in the northern atolls. 

This will work hand-in-hand with the smaller projects being undertaken on Diego Garcia - the first expedition for these projects aims to take place in March 2026. The outcomes of biocontrol will be monitored over three years to ensure success, allowing seabirds to return, together with the regeneration of natural island habitats. 

Read more about the Darwin Plus Main project here: https://darwinplus.org.uk/project/DPLUS221 And make sure to follow our progress, and see images and footage from the expeditions on our website, annual publication Chagos News, CCT socials (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter/X and YouTube), and media articles. 

The Chagos Conservation Trust would also like to thank the UK’s Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), who are responsible for the awarding of the Darwin Plus and Darwin Plus Local grants, which are part of the Biodiversity Challenge Funds that focus on conserving biodiversity and improving climate change resilience in the UK Overseas Territories. 

For media enquires, please email: media@chagos-trust.org

Image above/thumbnail: CCT expedition team enroute to the Chagos islands to undertake Phase I of HIHR project work [photo: Donald McDonald, November 2025], and below image of a red footed booby flying past Ile Petit Bois Mangue, Chagos Archipelago by Jon Slayer.