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Wildlife

In the jungle: Operating alongside the flora and fauna of Belize

Close up of the head and shoulders of a soldier wearing camouflage uniform and a helmet. He is pointing a rifle directly at the camera and only his left eye can be seen.

Did you know that the British Army undertakes Close Country Tropical Training within the jungles of Belize? The British Army Training Support Unit Belize (BATSUB), supported by DIO, operates on one of the MOD’s overseas training areas, which we share …

Take a look at our Christmas-related creatures and plants on the Defence Estate

A group of penguins walk on the sand in the Falkland Islands.

  It’s the most wonderful time of the year – but that doesn’t stop the hard work that goes on behind the scenes across the Defence Training Estate every day. Our ecology and environmental management teams work tirelessly alongside the …

Leopards and more: monitoring rare wildlife in Brunei’s jungle training areas

A muntjac stands in the jungle looking towards the camera.

One interesting element of my job recently has been a study we’ve been working on in British Forces Brunei (BFB)’s jungle training areas to monitor whether training has any impact on the local wildlife. We’ve been working with the Brunei …

Keeping communities and soldiers safe in Kenya

Personnel from the Kenyan Defence Forces and Sappers from 17 Field Squadron Royal Engineers sitting in the shade getting briefed on their task

Out in Kenya DIO staff are responsible for the physical safety of the training areas, keeping both the public and the military safe. The team work on a variety of tasks together with the British Army, the Kenyan Defence Forces …

Maintaining and protecting woodlands on the UK Defence Training Estate

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Defence Training Estate (DTE), Forestry, Landmarc, Sustainability, Wildlife
Woodland in Sennybridge with sun coming through the trees

Woodland at Sennybridge [Copyright Finn Beales] Did you know we're right in the middle of Forest Week, and that the UK Defence Training Estate is made up of  20,000 hectares of woodland? To help celebrate Forest Week, Judith Peachey, Forestry …

Encouraging the return of pine martens and red squirrels to Kirkcudbright Training Centre

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Conservation, Environment and Ecology, Wildlife
Two pine martens standing on rocks. One is looking at the camera. They both have brown fur with pale patches at their throats.

As Deputy Training Safety Officer for Kirkcudbright Training Centre in Dumfries and Galloway, I’ve been spending some of my time on a project designed to help Scotland’s native red squirrels. Kirkcudbright Training Centre is primarily used for infantry training, including …

Last chance to nominate projects for the Sanctuary Awards!

Nominations for the Sanctuary Awards close on 31 July and it’s your last chance to nominate projects across our categories from the Individual Achievement Award through to the Social Value and Sustainable Procurement and Construction Award.

Reversing the trend of declining bees on the Defence Training Estate

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Conservation, Environment and Ecology, Land Management, Landmarc, Wildlife

This week is National Pollinator’s Week and we’d like to share the initiatives we’ve put in place to help protect bees on the Defence estate. Bees are major pollinators, that ensure food and food security, sustainable agriculture and biodiversity and …

DIO initiates Chinook helicopter operation to help enhance wildlife habitat  

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Armed Forces, Environment and Ecology, Wildlife
A Chinook hovers over a barge holding large bags of aggregate.

A few weeks ago I was thrilled to be in Portsmouth Harbour to witness the culmination of three years of work on an unusual project.     I’m DIO’s Principal Ecologist, which means I lead a team responsible for managing the habitats and species on MOD …