Climate change in the UKOTs an overview of the ... - JNCC - Defra

eds, higher seas surface temperatures
and reduced sea ice cover.
Biodiversity: The biodiversity resources
of UKOTs make a significant contribution
to global biodiversity (Joint Nature Conservation
Committee, 2006). These mainly
small and often isolated locations have a
high degree of endemism. This means
many of the plants and animals found on
them occur nowhere else in the world. Of
globally threatened species identified in
the 2007 IUCN Red List, 61 critically
46
Some commercially valuable fish species
will not survive increased sea temperatures,
threatening fisherfolk livelihoods.
Credit: Steve Freeman
Box 8. What the terminology means
endangered species are found in the
UKOTs 12 , compared to five in metropolitan
UK. Fifty-eight endangered species
occur in the territories (10 in metropolitan
UK) along with 168 vulnerable species
(23 in the metropolitan UK) (IUCN, 2007).
The biodiversity of UKOTs is under threat.
There are more than 200 endemic plant
species, 20 known endemic bird species,
and 500 endemic invertebrates in the
UKOTs. There are also, however, 39
recorded extinctions in the UK Overseas
Territories and two species are extinct in
the wild. The latest extinction in the Overseas
Territories, namely that of the St.
Helena olive (Nesiota elliptica), occurred
in 2003 when the last tree in cultivation
died (JNCC, 2006).
In addition to the number of globally threatened
species, the UKOTs also hold regionally
or globally important concentrations of
species. For example, Ascension Island
supports the second largest green turtle
rookery in the Atlantic; Gough Island
(Tristan da Cunha) has been described as
the world’s most important seabird island;
and the reefs of the Chagos Archipelago
(British Indian Ocean Territory) are considered
to be some of the most pristine and
best protected in the Indian Ocean (and
account for some 1.3 per cent of the world
resource). The importance to nature conservation
of parts of the Territories is
A plant or animal is critically endangered when it is considered to be facing an
extremely high risk of extinction in the wild. Extinct in the wild means a plant or
animal is known only to survive in cultivation, in captivity or as a naturalised
population (or populations) well outside the past range.
A plant or animal is endangered when it is considered to be facing a very high risk of
extinction in the wild.
A plant or animal is vulnerable when it is considered to be facing a high risk of
extinction in the wild.
Source: IUCN (http://www.iucn.org)
12 These figures include all of Cyprus and Antarctic as the IUCN figures for Cyprus SBA and BAT are not broken down to
this level.