Protecting Our Territories from Alien Invaders
25 March 2010
From Bermuda to Pitcairn, the amazing wealth of plants and
animals in the UK’s Overseas Territories are being safeguarded by
the incredible work of the local populations. And now, with
additional support from UK Government, the rich variety of plants
and animals will be further protected from invasive alien
species.
These aliens are a major cause of biodiversity loss globally,
and their impacts are often most severe on the island environments
typical of our Overseas Territories. Those plants and animals which
have lived there for hundreds of years, such as Green turtles, the
Cayman Blue Iguana and the Montserrat Mountain Chicken, are often
vulnerable to these invaders. This is because of their previous
isolation from predators, diseases or competitors. The majority of
global extinctions since 1500 have occurred on islands. For
example, 67% of threatened birds on oceanic islands are threatened
by invasive alien species, compared to only 8% on continents. These
aliens are also thought to be responsible for the extinction of at
least 65 bird species, more than any other known factor.
The Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) has developed a
work programme which aims to give nature conservation advice and
support to UK and Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies
governments. Addressing the negative impact of invasive alien
species is a key issue, and recently Defra has given JNCC £250,000
to focus on tackling the invading threat to our Overseas
Territories. This is a contribution to International Year of
Biodiversity. Overseas Territories themselves have identified their
key priorities for this funding.
A vast range of activities will be supported by this funding.
Activities range from survey work to public awareness campaigns,
from eradication and control projects to prevention plans. For
example, on St Helena, the bastard gumwood tree Commindendrum
rotundifolium is on the brink of extinction, there is currently
only one known pure tree. The funding provided will support its
recovery by the removal of invasives plants and the propagation and
planting of pure bastard gumwood trees in their place. Mass
planting of this tree will allow it to re-establish, hopefully
saving it from extinction.
In the Caribbean the Cayman Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands,
and the British Virgin Islands will use £60,000 of the funding to
focus and develop efforts to monitor and control lionfish. These
lionfish, with few known natural predators, pose a major threat to
coral reefs by significantly reducing the young populations of a
wide range of native reef fish - for example, cardinal, parrotfish
and damselfish. There is the potential that this can have a
negative impact on the tourism industry, a key source of income for
Caribbean Islands.
Funds from this initiative will also be used determine the
extent of marine alien species at key points around South Georgia,
Falklands and Tristan, and to eradicate and control high priority
alien species, including plants and rodents, in the Falklands,
Ascension, and St Helena.
Minister for Marine and Natural Environment, Huw Irranca-Davies
said: “This is certainly a case where out of sight, should not mean
out of our minds. These places are homes to unique creatures, which
cannot be found anywhere else. Our planet’s range of plants and
animals, its biodiversity, is there to be safeguarded by us for
future generations, and I am glad that this funding is helping to
maintain such a legacy. ”
Marcus Yeo, Managing Director of JNCC noted: “JNCC is delighted
to be the catalyst for such a huge range of positive action for
nature conservation in the Overseas Territories which are so
important for global biodiversity. To be able to see so much being
gained for so little should be an inspiration to all
conservationists, not only in the UK, but across the world.”
- ENDS -
Notes to Editors:
1. The Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC)
is the statutory adviser to Government on UK and international
nature conservation, on behalf of the Council for Nature
Conservation and the Countryside, the Countryside Council for
Wales, Natural England and Scottish Natural Heritage. Its work
contributes to maintaining and enriching biological diversity,
conserving geological features and sustaining natural systems.
2. Other examples of projects being funded include: Educating
the general public about invasive species ecology, threats and
management in Anguilla; minimizing the destructive impacts of the
invasive Red Fire Ants by controlling the scale and distribution of
infestation in Montserrat; contributing to a project to eradicate
Rattus exulans from Henderson Island a UK Overseas Territory in the
Pacific; Providing a guide book to raise awareness of invasive
species in Bermuda and controlling invasive acacia trees in
Sovereign Base Area Cyprus.
3. For further information, please contact the JNCC
Communications Team, Tel: 01733 866839 or Email