At the request of the BIOT Administration, a group of scientists led by Professor Charles Sheppard, Adviser to the BIOT Commissioner, have drawn up a Conservation and Management Plan for BIOT. The paper, which also has input from the BIOT Science Advisory Group, makes recommendations to guide management of the Marine Protected Area. The BIOT Administration has said it will consider the recommendations carefully and produce a formal draft management plan in due course. As there has been some confusion, it is worth repeating that this is not a final management plan, just a contribution, albeit an important one, towards it; and it should not be interpreted as BIOT Administration’s agreed policy.