Time to play by Aussie rules?

Tinnies, barbies, Kylie and Neighbours are all popular Aussie exports that have been warmly adopted by the British. Now conservationists are hoping that another Antipodean staple - caring passionately about wildlife facing extinction - will become an addition to the list too.

In a bold move, highlighting the British government's relative dormancy on global wildlife protection, the Australian government is pursuing a plan to remove invasive species from the country’s Lord Howe Island. The island's unique wildlife - including birds and a stick insect found nowhere else on earth - is being pushed to the brink of extinction by non-native rats, which have munched their way through the wildlife and habitats in equal measure: five bird species have already gone to the wall.

Well, the wildlife of Lord Howe Island may be unique, but the issue definitely isn't. On some of the UK's Overseas Territories non-native species, especially rodents, are also driving many species to the point of oblivion; an RSPB report shows 32 species of birds in the UK's 14 Overseas Territories are facing extinction. Arguably, top of the list is the Tristan albatross, which only occurs on the UK's Gough Island, in the South Atlantic. This species is literally being nibbled alive by introduced mice and unless they are removed the albatross's countdown to extinction will not stop.

We’ve all heard Robert Peston telling us that money is tight at present but, for only £16million a year or, to put it another way 16 top bankers' bonuses, we challenge the UK government to make a major contribution to world conservation by preventing the extinction of dozens of species, many of which are unique to the UK's territories.

We find it frustrating that as a G8 nation, the UK is lagging behind rather than spearheading the conservation of species for which we have ultimate responsibility. Our overseas territories already have the ill-deserved reputation of being extinction blackspots – it’s time the reputation of these territories become beacons of conservation.

Safeguarding the future of the wildlife of the UK Overseas Territories is one of the six asks within our recently launched Letter to the Future campaign - urging the government to invest in the environment instead of investing in projects that threaten the planet and its wildlife.