eigh Morris, CEO of Manx Wildlife Trust (MWT), will be visiting Montserrat for the latter half of May to volunteer as part of the Adopt a Home for Wildlife project. He will be working with partners in the project including the Montserrat National Trust (MNT), the Department of Agriculture, adopters and others to strengthen the islands botanic gardens and horticultural techniques.

Leigh Morris became CEO of Manx Wildlife Trust in 2020, he is a member of the UKOTCF (UK Overseas Territories Conservation Forum) European Territories Working Group and the Inter Island Environment Meeting (IIEM) partnership, and recently joined UKOTCF’s Council. Leigh has a background in horticulture and botanic gardens and delivered similar capacity building projects internationally while employed by the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (2004-2014).

The Adopt a Home for Wildlife, project run by MNT was awarded Darwin Project funding in 2021. It allows individuals, organisations, community groups and businesses to maintain and protect a public or private space for nature, in partnership with the MNT. It is one realistic opportunity of safeguarding and restoring pockets of habitats, e.g. tropical dry forest, across the island of Montserrat.

The project aims to increase Montserrat’s globally important endemic/native plants and invertebrates, by managing invasive plant species, through community-led site-restoration. This will enhance biodiversity alongside people while providing sustainable small-enterprise opportunities and increasing community-wellbeing. The project is part-funded by the UK Government’s Darwin Plus fund.

Leigh will be delivering training on plant propagation and giving advice on botanic garden development. He said: I am very much looking forward to visiting Montserrat and helping the Montserrat National Trust develop its botanical garden and horticultural techniques. I greatly enjoyed doing similar work while at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and believe my past experiences there and on St Helena and Ascension, will be relevant on Montserrat. Beyond the horticulture I am also looking forward to learning about their wider conservation work including marine. It is fantastic that the Isle of Man is a member of UKOTCF alongside the other Crown Dependencies and UKOTs including Montserrat and I am proud that I can represent the Isle of Man and be able to go and help Montserrat’s conservation programmes.