• For first time UK government and all our Overseas Territories unite behind a joint ambitious and actionable biodiversity strategy
- UK's Overseas Territories are home to 94% of the UK's unique species and a quarter of the world's penguins
- Over 1,800 endemic species live in the Overseas Territories
The emperor penguin and the green turtle are among the much-loved species set to benefit from a new strategy launched today (28th November) to safeguard our world-leading wildlife hotspots.
The strategy, developed jointly with the governments and administrations across the UK Overseas Territories (UKOTs), sets out a new ambitious framework to halt and reverse biodiversity loss across territories spanning from the Antarctic to the Caribbean, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
The territories are home to globally important nature, supporting every one of Earth's major ecosystems, from coral reefs and rainforests to polar tundra. This includes important habitats for green turtles, including the second largest Green Turtle rookery in the Atlantic Ocean on Ascension Island. The territories also provide homes for a quarter of the world's penguins, including emperor, rockhopper and macaroni penguins.
Over 40,000 species have been recorded across the territories to date with 1,851 found nowhere else on earth. Examples of these endemic and unique species include the mountain chicken frog - which resides in Monseratt and is 40 times larger than its European counterparts with the ability to jump up to 2 metres - and the Bermuda petrel bird, which is known as a 'Lazarus species' since it was rediscovered after having been thought to be extinct for 300 years.
Many of these species are now threatened with extinction due to climate change, pollution and habitat loss, and invasive species with this new strategy marking a significant step change in international collaboration and is the first time that the UK Overseas Territories have rallied behind a single, shared ambition to protect their unique biodiversity.
Nature Minister Mary Creagh said:
"We are blessed with remarkable wildlife in our Overseas Territories from the polar landscapes of British Antarctica to the cloud forests of St Helena - there are thousands of species that cannot be found anywhere else.
"However, this precious biodiversity is under threat from global warming and it is our duty to protect it.
"For the first time all 14 UK Overseas Territories have signed off this strategy to safeguard these treasured species in these iconic places."
Minister for the Overseas Territories Stephen Doughty said:
"Our Overseas Territories are vital custodians of our oceans and ecosystems - overseeing 94% of Britain's unique species. With many of the territories positioned on the front lines of the climate crisis, we are absolutely committed to preserving and protecting these habitats into the future.
"This strategy marks an important moment in our collaboration with our partners across the Overseas Territories, uniting us for the first time behind a shared ambition to protect their unique and extraordinary biodiversity."
John Cortes, Environment Minister for Gibraltar, said:
"This strategy is the result of tremendous collaborative work by many people, in the OTs and in the UK, and of many years of study into our unique biodiversity.
"It is an example to others of what can be achieved by working together even if scattered across the globe and sets a challenge to present and future generations to protect the amazing biodiversity that we all treasure."
Dr David Cooper, chair of the Joint Nature Conservation Committee said:
"The UK Overseas Territories represent some of the world's most pristine wilderness areas, from the mangrove forests of the Cayman Islands to the remote landscapes of South Georgia.
"This new Biodiversity Strategy will strengthen support for implementation of multilateral environmental agreements, enhance sharing scientific expertise, and foster cross-territory relationships, ensuring these globally important ecosystems continue to thrive and support local economies. Our collective commitment to cooperation is essential for preserving these natural treasures."
The Overseas Territories Biodiversity Strategy is built around a joint ambition for nature, with six overarching goals to achieve with clear actions set out which each territory must take to protect their unique biodiversity. It will be reviewed by UKOTs Ministers every three years to ensure it remains fit for purpose in response to evolving challenges. The strategy is backed up by funding from the UK Darwin Plus Funds which recently allocated around £5 million to projects restoring nature in the UK Overseas Territories.
Protecting the nature of the UKOTs is vital to the way of life of their residents, many of whom work in nature dependent sectors like tourism and fishing. Safeguarding these ecosystems also preserves the benefits they provide for people and climate resilience, such as the sand dunes of Anguilla which protect communities from storm surges, or the Cayman mangroves which store carbon.
This strategy forms part of a wider effort by the UK Government to restore nature, including the international commitment to protect 30% of land and seas for nature by 2030.
This strategy is published as leaders from the UK Overseas Territories and UK Ministers gathered in London for the Joint Ministerial Council.
Notes
- The full strategy document
