The biodiversity of the United Kingdom’s Overseas Territories: a stock take of species occurrence and assessment of key knowledge gaps

M A Eaton,J Hall,C Stringer,Thomas Churchyard,R J Cuthbert,S Havery,J A Vickery,J Millett,A Farr

doi:10.1007/s10531-016-1149-z

Abstract

Limited financial resources for conservation and growing environmental problems make it vital to base conservation on sound scientific evidence. Small islands hold a disproportionately large amount of the worlds threatened biodiversity but it is among the least well-documented. This paper reports on the most extensive collation and synthesis of biodiversity data to date for the 14 United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs). A process of literature review and consultation produced 65,259 species records, including 32,216 native species of which 1549 were endemic to a single UKOT. The extent of knowledge of species occurrence varied both between islands and taxonomic groups. It was higher for vertebrates and vascular plants than small bodied invertebrates and non-vascular and for non-Caribbean compared to Caribbean islands, a difference that largely reflects knowledge of invertebrates. Global Red List assessments exist for 2606 species and document 111 of endemic species, 75 % of those assessed, and 291, 12 % of non-endemics, as globally threatened. Using the data to estimate true species richness suggests a further 70,000 native species, including 1800 single island endemics, remain to be documented suggesting the UKOTs as a whole may support over 100,000 native species including 3300 single island endemics.

Highlights

Limited financial resources for conservation and growing environmental problems make it vital to base conservation on sound scientific evidence (Sutherland et al 2004; Segan et al 2010)
This paper reports on biodiversity on the 14 United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs), which typify this scenario of being rich in biodiversity but poor in resources
To address this important knowledge gap we undertook the most extensive collation and synthesis of biodiversity data for the UKOTs to date, building on previous assessments (e.g. Procter and Fleming 1999), with the aim of (i) creating a baseline of all species known to occur in the UKOTs, (ii) identifying key knowledge gaps in relation to (a) individual UKOTs, (b) taxonomic groups (c) assessments against IUCN Red List criteria, (iii) estimating what the true species richness of the UKOTs might be, and (iv) investigating what factors determine our knowledge of biodiversity at the UKOT level

Summary

Introduction

Limited financial resources for conservation and growing environmental problems make it vital to base conservation on sound scientific evidence (Sutherland et al 2004; Segan et al 2010). If the UK Government is to meet its commitments under the CBD to stem and halt biodiversity loss on its Overseas Territories it should be a priority to address the many shortcomings in data (Oldfield and Sheppard 1997) To address this important knowledge gap we undertook the most extensive collation and synthesis of biodiversity data for the UKOTs to date, building on previous assessments (e.g. Procter and Fleming 1999), with the aim of (i) creating a baseline of all species known to occur in the UKOTs, (ii) identifying key knowledge gaps in relation to (a) individual UKOTs, (b) taxonomic groups (c) assessments against IUCN Red List criteria, (iii) estimating what the true species richness of the UKOTs might be, and (iv) investigating what factors determine our knowledge of biodiversity at the UKOT level

Materials and methods

Results

Discussion

Compliance with ethical standards