Invasive non-native species are a major cause of biodiversity
loss globally; there impacts are often most severe on the island
environments typical of our Overseas Territories (Cheesman et
al 2003). Species on such islands are often vulnerable to the
impacts of non-native species because of their previous isolation
from predators, diseases or competitors. Indeed, the majority (72%)
of global extinctions since 1500 have occurred on islands and, for
example, 67% of threatened birds on oceanic islands are threatened
by invasive alien species compared to only 8% on continents
(Baillie et al 2004). Invasive species are also thought to
be responsible for the extinction of at least 65 bird species, more
than any other known factor (Baillie et al 2004).
The Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies of the United
Kingdom are comprised mostly of island environments (Procter and
Fleming 1999) and are notable for their numbers of endemic and
globally threatened species (more than occur in metropolitan UK).
Problems with invasive non-native species are apparent in many of
the Territories. There are a number of organisations who are
working to try to resolve the problems that non-native species are
causing in the UK Overseas Territories and Crown
Dependencies.
JNCC has been involved in non-native species work in the UK
Overseas Territories since it was identified as a priority in a
workshop session at the UKOT Conference in Bermuda in March 2003.
This resulted in the publication of a
review
of non-native species in the UK Overseas territories in 2006
and the compilation of a UKOT/CD non-natives database. Since then
JNCC has hosted a 2006
workshop and a
2009 workshop on invasive species in the UKOTs,
and commissioned an updated review of non-natives, and an audit of
current activity in the UKOTs in 2009. A new
2009 UKOT/CD non-natives
database has also been produced
We will keep you informed of further work as it happens.