Threatened treasures of the UK's overseas territories - in pictures

The endangered Wilkins’s bunting is restricted to one tiny island in the Tristan da Cunha group. With just 80 pairs left, it is the rarest British bird species of all. The buntings of the Tristan da Cunha archipelago are similar to the finches of the Galapagos, in that the birds have evolved into different species with very different beaks on different islands Photograph: Peter Ryan/RSPB

The endangered blue iguana of the Cayman Islands was reduced to just 12 individuals in 2002. It has recovered to 750 but remains seriously threatened, with a highway proposed that would go right through its remaining stronghold Photograph: Jonathan Hall/RSPB

A female spiky yellow woodlouse, which exists only on St Helena, with newly hatched brood of juveniles. There are only 50 of the woodlice left, in a remnant of cloud forest no bigger than a tennis court Photograph: Phil Lambdon/RSPB

Two yellow-nosed albatrosses on Nightingale Island, with Tristan de Cunha in the distance. This species, and 31 other endangered bird species, mean the UK's overseas territories have more species at risk than the entire continent of Europe Photograph: Paul Tyler and Alison Rothwell/RSPB

The entire global population of the Ascension predatory shrimp is confined to just two small rockpools. It is not technically globally threatened however because - like many species in the UK's overseas territories - the species has never been assessed for the official IUCN red list Photograph: ascension-island.gov.ac

Northern rockhopper penguins on Gough Island, part of the south Atlantic archipelago of Tristan da Cunha. Some 2 million pairs have disappeared from the Tristan da Cunha in the last 60 years Photograph: Trevor Glass/RSPB

The critically endangered 'mountain chicken' has a stronghold on Montserrat and, despite its common name is in fact the second largest frog in the world and is carnivorous Photograph: Saving the Mountain Chicken

The Cobb's wren exists only in the Falkland Islands and, because it feeds at ground level, is highly vulnerable to its islands being invaded by cats or rats Photograph: Graham Madge/RSPB

A green sea turtle makes a nest on a beach on Ascension island in the South Atlantic. The island is the second most important nesting site for the endangered turtles in the entire Atlantic Photograph: Chris North/Alamy

The globally threatened Henderson lorikeet is one of the five unique bird species found on the UK's world heritage site on Henderson Island, part of the Pitcairn overseas territory in the Pacific Ocean Photograph: Tara Proud/RSPB

South Georgia is the largest breeding site for the southern elephant seal, whose population has recovered significantly since the end of hunting in the 19th century Photograph: Corbis

The nocturnal Montserrat galliwasp is one of the most endangered lizards in the world, only existing on the volcanic Caribbean island Photograph: ukotcf.org

The huge sperm whale, which can reach 20 metres long and feeds on squid, is globally threatened and roams the oceans off the Falkland Islands Photograph: Thomas Haider/Getty Images

Numerous species have gone extinct in the UK's overseas territories, including the Falkland wolf, last seen in the late 19th century. The most recent global extinction on UK territory was in 2003, when the last specimen if the St Helena olive tree died Photograph: PD