Saving the amazing

I have now been to Orkney and seen our endemic Scottish primrose ( see yesterday's blog), but I bet I never get to many, if any, of the UK's overseas territories like Pitcairn, Ascension or Henderson islands.

Today, the RSPB publishes a new stock-take of the natural wealth of these extraordinary places.  It is quite a read.

Penguin nation. The UK is responsible for more penguins than any other country on earth, such as these northern rockhopper penguins in Tristan da Cunha. Credit: Trevor Glass

We have found that...

...94% of our endemic species are in the UKOTs (1547 vs c90 in the UK)

...only 9% of these species have ever had their conservation status assessed for the Red List

...huge amounts are still unknown, and we estimate that there remain 2100 endemics still to be discovered in the Territories 

I know that it is not fashionable to ask for resources, but a little bit more would be nice and fabulous value for money.   It is pretty clear we need a plan to improve our understanding of the importance of these places and then, of course, to do something to save them from threats they face.  

While these places may be out of sight and out of mind to many, they are not safe from the four horsemen of the ecological apocalypse of habitat destruction, overexploitation, non-native invasive species and pollution (especially that which causes climate change).

It's not just us saying this, it is also what a group of MPs said in Jannuary - here.

I look forward to the response from the UK Government.