Daily Times

The Isle of Wight has been awarded Biosphere Reserve status by the United Nations Educational Scientific Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

It was handed the accolade by the UN body in recognition of its “strong tradition of environmental action”.

The island is now one of just seven areas in the United Kingdom to be given the prestigious honour.

In gaining Biosphere Reserve status, Visit Isle of Wight says the island has been recognised as offering “one of the best areas in the world for managed landscapes where human impact is not detracting from the landscape and wildlife, thanks to the work of various organisations and land-owners”.

It adds that it greatly enhances its reputation as a special place to live and visit.

The Biosphere Reserve status covers the whole of the Isle of Wight and the Solent.

It encompasses and recognises everything from locally produced food, to the white chalk stacks of The Needles; and from activities such as walking, cycling, water sports and fossil hunting, through to year-round events.

The tourist board says the island has always had a reputation for being a destination for spotting rare wildlife species, such as red squirrels in the woodlands, Glanville Fritillaries on cliff walks, and the Ventnor Wall Lizard, often seen sunning themselves on rocks – in addition to plants that occur nowhere else in Britain.

In 1963, half the island was designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The island also boasts the Isle of Wight Coastal Footpath, which stretches for over 64 miles – with over 500 miles of designated footpaths and plenty of designated trails criss-crossing the Island as a whole.

In gaining Biosphere Reserve status, Visit Isle of Wight says the island has been recognised as offering ‘one of the best areas in the world for managed landscapes where human impact is not detracting from the landscape and wildlife, thanks to the work of various organisations and land-owners’

The tourist board believes that the UNESCO accolade will help build on its sustainable tourism initiatives, including the recently launched Slow Travel Guide to the Isle of Wight and will also highlight it as a destination for those in search of outdoors and well-being breaks.

In a report on 2019’s biodiversity status applications, UNESCO noted that the Isle of Wight “has a strong tradition of environmental action” with “projects and initiatives promoting environmental education and awareness” that also “help people achieve healthier lifestyles and diets, develop eco-tourism activities” and that “test new measures for climate change mitigation and adaptation”.

The Minister and ambassador of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to UNESCO, Matthew Lodge, said, “The Isle of Wight community works hand-in-hand to conserve and enhance the island’s rich range of cultural heritage and natural biodiversity by bringing together many partners in their pursuit of a more culturally and ecologically sustainable future. By joining this network, the Isle of Wight will be able to learn from and co-operate with communities all over the world who are pursuing innovative initiatives of looking after our precious environment for future generations. I am particularly pleased that this decision has been made during the Year of Green Action, a year-long project initiated by the UK Government to get more people from all backgrounds to connect with nature, and to show how we can all take affirmative action to improve our environment.”

The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest and second-most populous island in England. It is in the English Channel, between 2 and 5 miles off the coast of Hampshire, separated by the Solent. The island has resorts that have been holiday destinations since Victorian times, and is known for its mild climate, coastal scenery, and verdant landscape of fields, downland and chines. The island is designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

The island has been home to the poets Swinburne and Tennyson and to Queen Victoria, who built her much-loved summer residence and final home Osborne House at East Cowes. It has a maritime and industrial tradition including boat-building, sail-making, the manufacture of flying boats, the hovercraft, and Britain’s space rockets. The island hosts annual music festivals including the Isle of Wight Festival, which in 1970 was the largest rock music event ever held.

It has well-conserved wildlife and some of the richest cliffs and quarries for dinosaur fossils in Europe.

The isle was owned by a Norman family until 1293 and was earlier a kingdom in its own right.

In common with the Crown dependencies, the British Crown was then represented on the island by the Governor of the Isle of Wight until 1995. The island has played an important part in the defence of the ports of Southampton and Portsmouth, and been near the front-line of conflicts through the ages, including the Spanish Armada and the Battle of Britain. Rural for most of its history, its Victorian fashionability and the growing affordability of holidays led to significant urban development during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Historically part of Hampshire, the island became a separate administrative county in 1890. It continued to share the Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire until 1974, when it was made its own ceremonial county. Apart from a shared police force, there is now no administrative link with Hampshire, although a combined local authority with Portsmouth and Southampton was considered, this is now unlikely to proceed.

Until 1995 the island had a governor.

The quickest public transport link to the mainland is the hovercraft from Ryde to Southsea; three vehicle ferry and two catamaran services cross the Solent to Southampton, Lymington and Portsmouth.