Ecosystem management for human well-being in the UK Overseas Territories and

Crown DependenciesDr Mike Pienkowski

Honorary Executive DirectorUK Overseas Territories Conservation

Forum

www.ukotcf.org

Black-browed Albatross, Falklands

St Helena cloud forest

Nature – What’s in it For Me?

UK Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies:

- within the sovereign territory of UK, but

- not represented in UK Parliament, nor main UK budgets

 Constitution and nature of each Territory different.

Parts of UK

Agave caymanensis, endemic to the Cayman Islands and listed as Vulnerable (Photo: RoyalBotanic Gardens Kew

Human population Land area (km2)UKOTs & CDs 406 150 17 967Metropolitan UK (GB & NI) 61 000 000 244 101

Individual UKOTS: <50 persons (Pitcairn) to 66,000 (Bermuda) and CDs to 91,000 (Jersey); mainly about 2000 to 20000 each (Metropolitan UK (GB & NI): 61,000,000)

British Antarctic Territory (BAT)

British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT)

Falklands

ArubaDutch Antilles

Bermuda

Sth. Georgia and Sth Sandwich Islands (SGSSI)

Greenland

St Pierre & Miquelon

Mayotte

French Southern & Antarctic Lands (TAAF)

New Caledonia

Wallis & Futuna

French Polynesia

Overseas Countries and Territories

PitcairnSt Helena

Tristan da CunhaAscension

AnguillaBritish Virgin Is.Turks & CaïcosCayman Is.Montserrat

Global biodiversity importance of UKOTs

Reverse of their usual peripheral importance, with domestic UK being the minor partner in this case

UKOTs hold:(All figures for UKOTs under-estimates due to incomplete study) 24 endemic (i.e. occur nowhere else) bird species (0 or 1 in GB&NI) 100 endemic reptiles (0 in GB&NI) 500 endemic invertebrates (> 99.2% of endemic

terrestrial invertebrate species occurring on UK territory) 200 endemic plants 59 endemic of species of moss in one UKOT alone About 50% of the world's breeding albatrosses One of the world's major coral reef nations

Drury’s Hairstreak, Turks & Caicos Is

Caicos Islands Reef Gecko, TCI Falkland flightless Steamer Duck

• Brings together conservation & science bodies in UK, UKOTs & CDs • Involves wide network of individuals with relevant expertise• Works on a largely volunteer basis • Lacks funding (could be more efficient if modest funding were available)• Works closely with governments of UK and UKOTs

UKOTCF-organised conference in Bermuda

UK member organisations of the Forum

• Amphibian & Reptile

Conservation • British Ecological Society • British Microbial Biodiversity

Association• Durrell Wildlife Conservation

Trust • Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew• Royal Zoological Society of

Scotland• Zoological Society of London

Associates:• Army Ornithological Society • Royal Air Force Ornithological

Society• Royal Naval Birdwatching

Society

Member/Associate

organisations for UKOTs/CDs

• Alderney Wildlife Trust• Anguilla National Trust• Ascension Conservation Centre• Ascension Heritage Society• Bermuda Audubon Society• Bermuda National Trust• Bermuda Zoological Society• Chagos Conservation Trust• British Virgin Islands National Parks Trust• National Trust for the Cayman Islands• Gibraltar Ornithological & Natural History

Society• La Société Guernesiaise• National Trust for Jersey• Société Jersiaise• Isle of Man Wildlife & Conservation Division• Montserrat National Trust• Pitcairn Natural Resources Division• St Helena National Trust• La Société Sercquiaise• South Georgia Association • National Trust of the Turks & Caicos Islands

Facilitating capacity development of

UKOT NGOs and officials

Followed successful strategy of: 1. helping local people form

conservation NGO where not already exist;

2. helping that NGO (and often the UKOT government environment department) develop capacity to manage itself;

3. evolving into a programme of jointly run conservation projects, transfering skills and experience to and between UKOTs.

4. raising awareness in UK of UKOTs, their conservation importance and needs, and UK’s shared responsibility in this regard.

Natural ecosystems are crucial for the economies of UKOTs:

Natural vegetation and soil as water reservoir• These are the main water reservoirs e.g. on St Helena

and Montserrat• Important also for prevention of erosion, nature &

cultural tourism, and other functions indicated later. • Foreground: the cloud forest of the Peaks, St Helena; the

background, only 5 km away, the desert of Prosperous Bay Plain with many endemic invertebrates.

Female Montserrat Oriole, endemic to Montserrat’s rain forest

But concerns elsewhere, about failures in rainfall - ?due to climate change or changes in land-use: e.g. drying up of Brown’s Water, formerly Pitcairn’s main water supply

Natural ecosystems are crucial for the economies of UKOTs. Tristan da Cunha

Sustainable fisheries are the main source of income in Tristan da Cunha, Falklands & South Georgia.

Fishery protection vessels – in place for the Falklands and South Georgia since the 1980s – and providing a fine examples of sustainable use. However, because of lack of funding, only now being investigated for Ascension, St Helena and Tristan da Cunha.

The recently announced marine protected area around the Chagos Archipelago (British Indian Ocean Territory) should help sustain fish stocks off East Africa, as well as conserve the near-pristine coral waters.

Part of the Trawler fishing fleet, Stanley, Falklands

One of the Falklands / S Georgia fishery patrol vessels

Middle Brother, a small part of the Chagos Archipelago

Natural ecosystems are crucial for the economies of UKOTs.

Hurricane & storm protection: mangroves & coral reefs Important also as nurseries for fish, to filter coastal pollution, and for tourism10% of world coral reefs are in OTs of UK/F/NLHowever, these continue to be destroyed by inappropriate development (below).

Natural ecosystems are crucial for the economies of UKOTs.

Use of natural materials for medicines, crafts etc

Natural ecosystems are crucial for the economies of UKOTs.

Sustainable powerFalklands: Small-scale wind-power at settlements.On Ascension, a wind farm soon to be completed and will supply the Island's power and also run the desalinisation plant. This will replace the diesel powered generators currently being used to supply power and water to the Island. The generators will be kept for a back up supply.Pitcairn: investigations of wind- and solar-power in progress.

Natural ecosystems are crucial for the economies of UKOTs.

Control of invasive speciesFor instance, a current species recovery project is clearing invasives from over 150 hectares of pastureland on St Helena. This will benefit the Wirebird through providing an increased area of optimal habitat, and humans through providing an increased area of pastureland for livestock production. In other areas, invasive plants are being cleared to help the threatened endemic vegetation – but it will benefit also agriculture.

Wirebird or St Helena Plover

Natural ecosystems are crucial for the economies of UKOTs. Tourism – the good, …

Natural ecosystems are crucial for the economies of UKOTs.

Tourism – …the bad …

Adult and immature Greater Flamingos on a

site now lost

Natural ecosystems are crucial for the economies of UKOTs. Tourism – … and the ugly

Extinctions as a non-sustainability measure

39 recorded extinctions in the UKOTs (despite limited study)2 species survive only in captivity/cultivation Latest recorded global extinction in UK territory (St Helena Olive) 2003 – after UK agreed to reduce the rate of biodiversity loss by 2010. Several other species at immediate risk of global extinction in UKOTs. At least 240 UKOT species are at high risk of global extinction.

Blue Iguana, endemic to Grand Cayman,

“Mountain Chicken” frog, endemic to Montserrat and Dominica

Spectacled Petrel off Tristan da Cunha group, this species breeds only on Inaccessible Island.

Why are species going globally extinct in UK territory?

UK Government spends about 500 times less on conservation in UKOTs (£1m pa) than in GB & NI (>£460m pa) (UK Govt figures)

There are 10x to 100x more endemic species (or several other measures) in UKOTs than in GB&NI.

Therefore UK Government spends at least 4 orders of magnitude less per endemic species in its Overseas Territories than in Great Britain & Northern Ireland.

Resource needs for UK to achieve 2010 target in UKOTs & CDs – but not by 2010

• At a stage when, in domestic UK, a project would move into a recovery plan, it stops in a UKOT because of the lack of such a fund.

• Need a separate UK Government fund (at least an order of magnitude larger than the existing small projects funds) for large-scale conservation projects/ sustainable usage issues

Need also to make National Lottery funding etc available for UKOT & CD projects, but lottery bodies seem to think that the UKOTs are foreign!

Greater Antillean Bullfinch, TCI

Rockhopper Penguin, Falklands

Elephant Seals, South Georgia

What are the main needs to stop the loss of biodiversity and enhance sustainable use?

• An open approach in UKOTs to decision making in planning, with encouraged involvement of civil society.

• Recognition in UK (public, officials and politicians) that Territories are part of UK, not foreign – and that it shares responsibility for their conservation.

• This means UK Government both:- providing a major contribution to funding conservation work in UKOTs/CDs- implementing its responsibilities for the UKOTs, this having a major impact on the environment

King Penguins, South Georgia

Central Mangrove Wetlands,

Grand Cayman

From the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee report on Halting Biodiversity Loss

(published 10 November 2008)

“With leadership, and a relatively small sum of money, the incredible biodiversity found in our overseas territories can be safeguarded into the future. One of the most important contributions that the Government could make to slowing the catastrophic global biodiversity loss currently occurring would be to accept its responsibilities and to provide more support for the UK Overseas Territories in this area.”

Albatross at sunset, off South Georgia

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