ISLE OF MAN AWARDED UNESCO STATUS.
MONDAY, 21 MARCH 2015
Source: The Telegraph
The Isle of Man has today been recognised as one of the best places in the world to explore nature.
The accolade comes from world heritage body Unesco which has designated the entire island a Biosphere Reserve, celebrating and protecting the breadth and range of its biodiversity.
Unesco says it is a "special place for people and nature".
The Isle of Man, off the coast of north-west England in the Irish Sea, joins five other Biosphere Reserves in the UK, including the Brighton and Lewes Downs, Beinn Eighe and the North Norfolk Coast. Around the world there are 669 Biosphere Reserve sites across 120 countries, including the Danube delta in Romania and the Ukraine, the Sierra Nevada in Spain and Yellowstone National Park in the US.
Angela Byrne, the head of tourism at the Isle of Man, said the award recognised the "great relationship between the Manx people, our visitors and the natural landscape" of the island.
"We are immensely proud of what our Island has to offer visitors - from awe-inspiring waterfalls hidden away in verdant historic glens to wide open expanses that produce vistas that take your breath away - and we work hard to ensure that these can be easily enjoyed and will be protected for locals and visitors to enjoy for generations to come," she said.
In awarding the status, Unesco praised the island's peat reserves in the hills, the grasslands, pools and wetlands of the coastal plain in the north and its coastline of cliffs, stacks, islets and long beaches.
"The site's marine environment is rich in biodiversity and harbours important populations of European eel, Atlantic cod and basking sharks, among others," it said.
The Isle of Man becomes the first "entire jurisdiction" to receive the award in the world.
The island's chief minister, Allan Bell, said: "As a brilliant and resourceful country with a distinct national identity, independent spirit, strong sense of community and exceptional natural environment, our Island can be expected to embrace the ethos of this award and be an active contributor to the global Biosphere network."
Visiting the 33-by-13.5-mile island for Telegraph Travel last year, David Williams wrote: "[The] scenery [is] so stunning that it looks as though someone stole the best bits of Dartmoor, Cornwall, Devon and Scotland."
Unesco's design was made at a conference in the Peruvian capital of Lima, where it added 20 sites to its list, including sites in Tanzania, the Philippines and Iran.
GOVERNMENT PROPOSES £50 MILLION FUND TO INVEST IN NEW BUSINESS AND JOBS.
WEDNESDAY, 22 JULY 2015
Chief Minister Allan Bell MHK has announced proposals for a £50 million Enterprise Development Fund to support the growth of new business and new jobs for the Island.
The scheme is the centrepiece of a new 'Enterprise Isle' package of initiatives to boost the economy, increase inward investment and grow the working population, outlined by Mr Bell in Tynwald today.
The package also includes new tax incentives and changes in financial regulation, land use, work permits, and online services for business.
The Chief Minister told Members that entrepreneurs and innovators are the engine room of the economy, creating jobs and generating revenue to support public services. However bank lending to local businesses has reduced by more than half since 2009, and economic competition is now intensifying, from the United Kingdom and elsewhere.
"Our plan will create an environment that nurtures entrepreneurs and innovation, and targets investment that drives growth", he declared.
Mr Bell said that despite continuing economic growth and a low unemployment rate, total numbers in employment have dropped over the past three years by 775, or two per cent of the workforce.
To support the ageing population and the mounting costs of pensions, health and care, it would be necessary to reverse this trend and increase the Island's economically active population by 500 to 1,000 people a year.
Summing up the Enterprise Isle package, the Chief Minister said:
"This plan is designed to accelerate the work we are already doing. It will provide a legacy for jobs creation and opportunity for all. It will help secure the quality of life we treasure so highly and will ensure that the Isle of Man will live up to its credentials as a place 'Where You Can.'"
Mr Bell also set out the Government's broad plan to ensure future fiscal sustainability by addressing the three major areas of Government spending in health and social care, welfare and state pensions.
The announcements were made in a speech to Tynwald which set out Government's priorities for the remainder of its term of office and beyond.
The Chief Minister told Tynwald:
"We remain committed to our three core aims - growing the economy, balancing the budget and protecting the vulnerable. Our plan for growth provides a stable platform on which we can create further investment in our Island and jobs for our people. It takes us towards long term financial security and sustainable public services. It reaffirms our commitment to supporting the most vulnerable in our society and it clearly states that the Isle of Man is open for business."