Invasive Species Pose Threat To Montserrat and Other UK Overseas Territories

A new study has for the first time predicted which invasive species could pose a future threat to the UK's ecologically unique Overseas Territories including Montserrat.

The 14 Territories – many of them small, remote islands -- are home to species found nowhere else in the world.

This makes them extremely vulnerable to biological invasions -- in the oceans or on land -- which could lead to the extinction of these endemic species or irrevocably change their unique ecosystems.

Researchers at the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) and Durham University, working in partnership with communities on the Overseas Territories, assessed thousands of potential invasive non-native species, to predict which are most likely to arrive and impact these environments within the next 10 years.

The resulting research, published in the journal Conservation Letters, provides a reference for authorities, conservation ecologists and the public to guide them in preventing these invasive non-native species from becoming established and causing ecological and economic damage.

UKCEH ecologist Professor Helen Roy, who led the work, says these territories are exceptionally biodiverse.

She says that St Helena, for example, has over 400 invertebrates found nowhere else in world -- it is simply unique.

Professor Roy says it is their hope that this study draws attention to these Overseas Territories and the inspiring people on them who are working so hard to protect their incredible wildlife and habitats."

To produce the list, experts from Montserrat and each of the other UK Overseas Territories collaborated with the wider project team of experts from around the world to predict which invasive non-native species were likely to arrive, establish and impact on biodiversity, ecosystems, human health and the economy within the next 10 years.

The report also examines how the species are most likely to arrive, with shipping containers identified as a key route for many animal species.

Invasive non-native species that present a major threat to many UK Overseas Territories, such as Montserrat, include the little fire ant, the brown rat, and the mesquite tree.

Dr Wayne Dawson of Durham University said the knowledge and experience of local experts was central to identifying the non-native species that pose the highest threats to each Territory, and it was a great privilege to work with a wide range of contributors on the project."