Our Language

and - always spelled out as 'and'. Only use ampersand '&' in tweets or in headings if it looks neater or is part of a visual identity.

Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) - always use in full at first mention, and only follow with the acronym if mentioning again. Don’t assume people know what these are! Give them context: An area that has been selected by the Isle of Man Government for protection, due to features of special interest such as wildlife, geology or landform. Note that the UK designation is Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

Aquaculture - capital A, specialist term which needs an explanation for most audiences:

The farming of fish, crustaceans, molluscs, aquatic plants, algae, and other organisms. Also known as aquafarming, it involves cultivating fresh or saltwater populations under controlled conditions and can be contrasted with commercial fishing.

biodiversity - use wildlife instead.

biodiversity credits - can be purchased by companies to support activities which protect and restore wildlife such as habitat creation projects. These credits enable a company to offset the unavoidable loss of biodiversity caused by development for example. See also carbon credits.

biodiversity offset - use biodiversity credits or compensation for damage to wildlife instead.

breathtaking - all one word, not breath-taking.

catchment / river catchment - use river, rivers or riverscape instead.

Carbon offsetting – the process of reducing or removing carbon dioxide or other Greenhouse gas emissions,  to compensate for emissions made elsewhere. Reduction activities might include installing LED lighting or investing in renewable energy whilst removal activities can include re-afforestation or carbon capture/ storage solutions. MWT do not provide offsetting due to its association with greenwashing and believe that every effort should be made to reduce carbon footprints before drawing down any unavoidable carbon - see carbon credits.

Carbon credits – can be purchased by companies to support activities which protect and restore natural carbon sinks such as forests or support new technologies, for example, carbon capture. These credits enable a company to offset their unavoidable emissions of carbon or other Greenhouse gases. See also biodiversity credits.

cetacean - a specialist term that needs explanation for most audiences:

Cetacean is the scientific name for whales, dolphins and porpoises, of which there are around 90 species worldwide living in both salt and fresh water.

climate emergency / climate crisis - as opposed to climate change.

curragh - the word curragh is already plural so never curraghs, for example Ballaugh Curragh Wetland of International Importance.

Dates - use the format 23^rd June 2022 / 25^th December 2024. For years - 1990s (no apostrophe).

e.g. - not eg. Where possible, use for example.

etc. - always followed by a full stop.

email - not e-mail or E-mail.

engage - we talk about engaging audiences internally, but externally we should describe actively what supporters will be doing - join us for an event, visit our Nature Discovery Centre, discover our wildlife, chat to our team, read our blog, rather than engage with MWT/nature.

fish or fish population - not fish stocks.

fly-tipping - not fly tipping or flytipping. 

habitat - be careful when using this. Occasional use in context is fine, but it can get repetitive very quickly. Can you say it another way? Examples: Home / natural environment / domain / haunt / natural surroundings.

homepage - one word.

hydrology/water table - these are scientific terms and not widely understood. Think of what you’re trying to describe and use simple language instead. People will never understand the value of land that is/meant to be wet if they don’t understand that’s what we mean. Two examples:

These developments will drain water away from the nature reserve which would be devastating for the wildlife who call it home. The plants and animals living here depend on it being wet. If the land dries out, they may not survive.

Wet peat locks in carbon, but peat that has dried out releases carbon back into the atmosphere. Keeping our peatlands healthy and wet is vital in the fight against the climate emergency.

i.e. - not ie. Where possible, use ‘that is’ instead.

internet - lowercase ‘I’ (an uppercase ‘I’ used to be the standard).

Invasive non-native species (INNS) - always use in full at first mention, and only follow with the acronym if mentioning again. Don’t assume people know what these are! Give them context: Invasive non-native species (INNS) are species which have been introduced, as a result of human activity, to an area where they are not native, and which are detrimental to native species and habitats.

invertebrate - use insects if that’s what you are talking about. If you do use it, provide some info about what an invertebrate is. National Geographic has some wonderful descriptions!

Isle of Man/Island – always refer to the Isle of Man at first mention. You can then use Island but always with a capital I. Also use in the Isle of Man rather than on the Isle of Man.

Living Landscapes - capital L, capital L.  Where every nature reserve is connected to neighbouring land by natural corridors, stretching across the Isle of Man in an interconnecting web of wildlife-rich habitats.

Living Seas - capital L, capital S.  Where better protection and management of our seas helps declining marine species to become common again.

log in - two words as a verb, not login.

Manx Wildlife Trust (MWT) – no ‘the’ before the name; use in full and then abbreviate to MWT on subsequent mentions. DO NOT use ‘the Trust’ – there are many Trusts of different kinds in the Isle of Man but only one MWT!

Manx Biological Recording Partnership (MBRP) - always use in full at first mention, and only follow with the acronym if mentioning again. (www.manxbiodiversity.org)

Marine Nature Reserve (MNR) - always use in full at first mention, and only follow with the acronym if mentioning again. Don’t assume people know what these are!

Give them context: Marine Nature Reserves (MNRs) are effectively nature reserves at sea - designated protected areas where marine wildlife can start to revive and hopefully thrive once more. In the UK they are known as Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) or Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs)

manmade - one word.

Mainland – do not use this term to refer to any of the countries around us. Use United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland or specific countries, for example, Wales.

marine pollution - this is a bit vague - it could refer to litter or waste but it could also refer to an oil spill or even noise. Try and be more specific, for e.g. if you're talking about plastic, say 'plastic pollution'.

mermaid’s purse - or mermaid’s purses if plural. The casing that surrounds the eggs of sharks and skates.

National Nature Reserve – we only have one on Island currently – Ayres National Nature Reserve. Use Ayres National Nature Reserve in full at first mention and then Ayres NNR for subsequent mentions in the same text.

nature - use wildlife instead if it makes sense to.

Nature Matters - capital N, capital M. Inspiring people to have a personal connection with nature. Where people understand the value of nature in their everyday lives and take action for it.

Nature Recovery Network - capital N, capital R, capital N. A network of naturally connected, joined-up landscapes, where wildlife can move around easily and naturally.

Nature-based Solutions – capital N and S; hyphenated Nature-based.  Using natural processes to help resolve problems affecting both people and wildlife, for example, water pollution, the climate crisis and loss of species. Projects might include planting more trees as they absorb carbon dioxide. Increased levels of this gas in the atmosphere is a key cause of the climate emergency.

naturalist - depending on your audience, it could be worth a short description. We don’t want to be confused with naturists! A naturalist is someone who studies the impacts of living species on each other and the environments in which they live.

nature reserve - upper case N if at the start of a sentence, otherwise a lower-case n and r if referring to nature reserves in general. Use upper case N and R in area names: MWT Close Sartfield Nature Reserve. 

Wherever possible, include a description of what a nature reserve is, for context:

• Nature reserves are designated areas that are specially managed for wildlife.
• A nature reserve is a safe place/haven/refuge/sanctuary for wildlife.
• Nature reserves are maintained wild places where wildlife can live and thrive, and where people can go to relax, explore, and reconnect with nature.

Always include the prefix MWT when referring to MWT’s nature reserves and other land then abbreviate: MWT Close Sartfield Nature Reserve; MWT Close Sartfield.

NB - do not use (it’s problematic for some non-English speakers). Use please note instead.

offer - only to be used as a verb - We're offering you the experience of a lifetime! - or in the context of special offer. Do not use offer as a noun - our visitor experience offer - as it is an internal phrase that doesn't mean much to our visitors.

offshore - no hyphen.

online - no hyphen.

on-screen - with hyphen.

Overwinter/wintering - not said in speech by many, so this is better: The geese come here for the winter.

Path or trail - preferred term when talking about a route people can walk. Not pathway or walkway.  

pollinators - fine to use but expand to include some species for greater understanding: Pollinators, like bees and flies, love these sorts of plants!

peatlands - use this as a ‘catch-all’ to describe these landscapes, as we don’t want to confuse the public with mixed terminology. Use peatlands, the peatlands, our peatlands and NOT uplands, moorlands, blanket bog, moors, the moors, lowland blanket bog, raised blanket bog, bog etc.

plant and animal names – capital letters for the start of each part of the name: Arctic Tern, Loughtan Sheep, St John’s Wort. If it is necessary to refer to the scientific name of the species as well, use a capital for the first word, lower case for the second and italics for both:  Starling, Sturnus vulgaris. It is well worth looking up the correct/most up-to-date names of plants and animals either in the NBN Atlas or the NHM Species Inventory. Family names (ending in eae) are not italicised but capitalise the initial letter e.g. Poaceae.

peninsula - a peninsula is the noun and peninsular is the adjective (consisting of or relating to a peninsula).

river catchment - use river, rivers or riverscape instead.

rockpool - not rock pool.

(seasons) spring, summer, autumn, winter - never with a capital, always lower case.

site - don’t refer to a nature reserve as a site – it sounds industrial, technical and not at all wild.

species - be careful when using this – occasional use in context is fine, but it can get repetitive very quickly. Can you say it another way? For example, instead of 'different species of bumblebee prefer different species of flowers', how about: 'Bumblebees look for certain types of flowers. Those with shorter tongues need short, open flowers, but bumblebees with long tongues can enjoy deeper flowers like honeysuckle."

supports (as in ‘this tree supports many species of bird’) - this is not something you’d say in speech, so do not use it in writing. Use simple or evocative phrasing so that people make the connection between land and wildlife, plant and insects. 

These ponds are home to colourful sea anemones. Can you see one attached to the rocks?

#TeamWilder – always use with the hashtag and capitalise both initials.

The Wildlife Trusts - always with capital T, capital W and capital T on first mention and then TWT subsequently. Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts (RSWT) is the registered charity name of The Wildlife Trusts. It is only relevant to use this in legal documents.

time of day - we use the 12-hour clock, not the 24hr. So, it would be 4:30pm and never 16:30. 12pm is midday/noon and 12am is midnight.

URL - capital letters, not url.

wader - provide some description when first using: Waders are birds with long legs (and possibly necks and bills too) who are adapted for wading in water.

watercourse - river/stream/channel.

web addresses - no need to write https://www at beginning of address - for example, mwt.im .

web page - two words.

website - one word.

wellbeing - one word, not with a hyphen or two separate words.

wetlands - the clue is in the name, but don’t assume that everyone is familiar with them. Use a short description at first mention: Wetlands are areas that are defined by the presence of water. Many birds, insects and other wildlife are reliant on wetlands for vital stages of life. Or: Wetlands are places where you need to wear wellies to keep your feet dry.

Wetland of International Importance – capital W, I, I.  This designation was created by the Ramsar Convention, an international treaty designed to protect wetlands and signed in Ramsar, in Iran. The Ballaugh Curragh Wetland of International Importance is currently the Isle of Man’s only site designated under the Ramsar Convention.   

who - when referring to wildlife, use who, not that or it. Be like David Attenborough and talk about animals and insects as who. We need more than ever to encourage empathy and stop them from being ‘other’.

wildlife - as a noun, wildlife is uncountable (cannot be counted), but the plural of wildlife is also wildlife. To avoid confusion and mixing tenses, decide whether you’re talking about plural or singular wildlife and stick with it – whether that be in a sentence, paragraph or entire article.

wild place(s) - not space(s).