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

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