Britain's nest egg of endangered birdsNew RSPB report claims that many of the Overseas Territories’ unique species may soon be lostBRITAIN’S Overseas Territories are a haven for many unique and threatened species of birds, ranging from penguins to parrots, a report shows. The 14 territories, such as South Georgia and Bermuda, provide nesting and feeding grounds for 47 threatened species, of which 22 are found nowhere else.
Among the most endangered is the Montserrat oriole, which lives only on the Caribbean island and lost half its habitat to the volcanic eruption in 1997. Birds found in the Overseas Territories include seven species of albatross, five species of petrel, a third of the world’s penguins, five species of hummingbirds, two species of parrot and one of pelican.
The value of the Overseas Territories is highlighted in a report published today by the RSPB and Birdlife International. Sarah Sanders, the author of the report, said: “In addition to the variety of species the concentrations of seabirds, in particular, are staggering. There could be up to 50 million pairs of seabirds nesting on our territories, which makes the UK one of the most important nations for marine wildlife.”
Between them the Overseas Territories have 78 areas identified as priority sites for conservation but fewer than half of them have been given any official protection, she said.
Invasive plants and animals introduced to the territories, mostly islands, have devastated bird populations and native wildlife species. Rats and mice are a particular problem.
Graham Wynne, chief executive of the RSPB, described the Overseas Territories as “crown jewels for conservation”, boasting more rare birds than the whole of Europe, but he cautioned that several species could soon be extinct.
“The threats to them are very real. Several birds found only on Overseas Territories have become extinct in the past few hundred years, putting Britain in the list of the world’s top five countries for bird extinctions,” he said.
Barry Gardiner, Minister for Biodiversity, Landscape and Rural Affairs, wrote in a foreword to the report: “The UK’s Overseas Territories are rich in wildlife and home to many endemic species.
“Their total land area is less than 10 per cent of the British Isles yet their importance in biological diversity is out of all proportion to their small size.
“This is underlined by the large number of globally significant bird species in the UK Overseas Territories. However, these bird populations face increasing pressure from invasive alien species, habitat destruction, long-line fishing and global climate change.”
Among the birds threatened with extinction, and found only on the Overseas Territories, are the Inaccessible rail and the Gough bunting on Tristan de Cunha, Cobb’s wren on the Falkland Islands, the Henderson lorikeet on the Pitcairn Islands and the Bermuda petrel.
Those that are threatened and are found in the territories and other parts of the world include the rockhopper and Macaroni penguins on the Falkland Islands, the forest thrush on Montserrat, the lesser kestrel on Gibraltar and the wandering albatross on South Georgia.
The report, Important Bird Areas in the United Kingdom Overseas Territories, is being presented today to a conservation conference held in Jersey. |
Bird News 
