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Privacy Policy

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Biodiversity Challenge Funds

Privacy Notice

The purpose of this Privacy Notice is to inform you of the use that will be made of your personal data in connection with the Darwin Initiative, Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT) Challenge Fund and Darwin Plus.

1. Who is collecting my data?

The data controller is the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). You can contact the Defra Data Protection Officer at:

Address: Defra Group Data Protection Officer, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, SW Quarter, 2nd floor, Seacole Block, 2 Marsham Street, London SW1P 4DF.

Email: DefraGroupDataProtectionOfficer@defra.gov.uk

Any questions about how we are using your personal data and your associated rights should be sent to the above contact.

2. What of my data is being collected and how is it used? What is the legal basis for the processing?

Defra may collect your name, address, email, phone number, Skype details, job title and details of your professional experience and organisation. Defra will use this personal data for the purpose of processing your organisation’s application for Darwin Initiative, Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT) Challenge Fund or Darwin Plus funding and for the administration, evaluation, monitoring and publicising of the funds.  Processing of this data is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in Defra under Section 153 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, and the International Development Act 2002.

If you are the project leader in respect of a successful application, we would like to include your name on our website listed below. We will process this on a public task basis (Article 6(1)(e)).

https://www.darwininitiative.org.uk/

https://darwinplus.org.uk/

https://iwt.challengefund.org.uk/

We would also like to include your email address in the relevant email list of the Biodiversity Challenge Funds (e.g. Darwin Initiative, Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT) Challenge Fund and Darwin Plus emailing list) to send certain communications to you in relation to details about the funds; newsletters; events, and general communications about the funds. We will process this on a public task basis (Article 6(1)(e)).

We may be required to release data in certain circumstances to comply with legal obligations placed upon us including under the 2004 Environmental Information Regulations and the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

3. Who will my data be shared with?

For purposes of administering, monitoring and evaluating your application and, if your application is successful, the grant, your personal data may be shared by us with:

  • our Fund Manager (currently NIRAS or a similar if new Fund Manager is secured);
  • Biodiversity Challenge Funds - Expert Groups (Darwin Expert Committee / Darwin Plus Advisory Group / Illegal Wildlife Trade Advisory Group members) as appropriate;
  • other governmental bodies (including Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Cabinet Office, Border Force, Home Office, Ministry of Defence);
  • for Darwin Plus, UK Overseas Territory Governments;
  • external experts in order to assess the suitability of the application for funding, to review your project progress or the programme progress; and

IT contractors for purposes of managing our website if you give your consent for us to include your personal data on our website.

4. If you are relying on my consent to process my data, can I withdraw my consent?

You have the right to withdraw consent at any time, where processing is based on your consent.

5. How long will my data be held for?

Your personal financial data will be kept by us for a period of up to 7 years after project end in line with the retention period for financial information, as this may be required for auditing purposes.

Personal data provided on application forms and reporting forms may be kept for a period of 15 years of more for the purposes of independent evaluation and programme assessment.

6. What will happen if I don’t provide the data?

Failure to provide the personal data requested in the application form for grant funding would prevent proper assessment of your organisation’s application and administration of the grant and would therefore render it invalid.

7. Will my data be used for automated decision-making or profiling?

The information you provide is not connected with automated decision making (making a decision solely by automated means without any human involvement) or profiling (automated processing of personal data to evaluate certain things about an individual).

8. Will my data be transferred outside of the EEA? If it will, how will it be protected?

We may send personal data included in the project proposals to those parties listed in Section 3 above, including those outside the European Economic Area to a country without an adequacy decision. This will be to support the administering, monitoring and evaluating your application and, if your application is successful, the grant.

Prior to transferring your personal data to a country where no adequacy decision is in place, we will ensure suitable safeguards are in place.

If you would like more information on such safeguards, please contact the Defra Data Protection Officer.

9. What are my rights?

A list of your rights under the General Data Protection Regulation, the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA 2018), is accessible at: https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-the-general-data-protection-regulation-gdpr/individual-rights/

10. How do I complain?

You should first raise any concerns with the Defra Data Protection Officer. 

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the ICO (Information Commissioners Office) (supervisory authority) at any time. Should you wish to exercise that right, full details are available at: https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-the-general-data-protection-regulation-gdpr/individual-rights/

11. Personal Information Charter

Defra’s Personal Information Charter, which gives details of your rights in respect of the handling of your personal data, is on the Defra section of Gov.uk.  If you don’t have access to the internet, please telephone the Defra helpline 08459 33 55 77 and ask to speak to the Data Protection Officer for a copy of the Information Charter.