0:00:07 > 0:00:10My name is Stewart McPherson. I am an explorer and naturalist.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14I have climbed dozens of unexplored mountains
0:00:14 > 0:00:16and discovered many new species.
0:00:18 > 0:00:21And yet the journey I have always wanted to make
0:00:21 > 0:00:24is to the most remote parts of Britain.
0:00:27 > 0:00:29And I mean remote.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32Not the islands of Scotland or the mountains of Wales
0:00:32 > 0:00:35but the UK overseas territories.
0:00:35 > 0:00:4014 islands and archipelagos scattered all across the seven seas.
0:00:40 > 0:00:44They have seven times the land area of the UK.
0:00:45 > 0:00:50Some are uninhabited but 350,000 people live on the others -
0:00:50 > 0:00:55people who have voted to remain part of the United Kingdom.
0:00:55 > 0:00:58I read about these far-flung places when I was a child
0:00:58 > 0:01:00and this was my treasure map.
0:01:00 > 0:01:05Not to hoards of gold and silver but something even more special.
0:01:05 > 0:01:09Untold riches of wildlife and unique cultures.
0:01:13 > 0:01:17I wanted to stand on the biggest penguin colonies on the planet.
0:01:28 > 0:01:32I wanted to dive on the world's richest coral reefs.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43And I can do all that without leaving Britain.
0:01:43 > 0:01:48No single person has ever explored all 14 overseas territories and
0:01:48 > 0:01:52that is just too much of a challenge for any explorer to resist.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55So I'm going to follow my childhood treasure map,
0:01:55 > 0:01:57right the way across the globe,
0:01:57 > 0:02:01to discover the furthest reaches of Britain.
0:02:10 > 0:02:14This journey will take me to eight of the UK overseas territories
0:02:14 > 0:02:18which were once important military or trading bases.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21And some remain as such today.
0:02:21 > 0:02:23I will visit the remote islands of Ascension
0:02:23 > 0:02:25and Saint Helena in the Atlantic...
0:02:27 > 0:02:30..Gibraltar and Cyprus in the Mediterranean...
0:02:32 > 0:02:36..but first, five territories scattered around the Caribbean Sea.
0:02:41 > 0:02:45My journey begins in the wake of perhaps the most famous
0:02:45 > 0:02:48explorer of all - Christopher Columbus.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55October 12th, 1492.
0:02:57 > 0:02:59Three Spanish ships anchored off the coast
0:02:59 > 0:03:02of an unknown tropical island,
0:03:02 > 0:03:05waiting for dawn and a chance to explore.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10Columbus was about to set foot on a new world.
0:03:11 > 0:03:16This place was teeming with strange and colourful plants and animals...
0:03:17 > 0:03:20..the likes of which he had never seen.
0:03:36 > 0:03:40The Caribbean is a biological hotspot,
0:03:40 > 0:03:43one of the most diverse places on the planet.
0:03:50 > 0:03:55But the world that Columbus found would soon be changed for ever.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03In 1493, he came back.
0:04:05 > 0:04:09One of the stops on his second voyage was here on Great Tobago
0:04:09 > 0:04:12in the British Virgin Islands.
0:04:12 > 0:04:18This time, he brought 17 ships, full of livestock, crop seeds
0:04:18 > 0:04:20and 1,500 people.
0:04:22 > 0:04:24His voyage was the first attempt by Europeans
0:04:24 > 0:04:26to colonise the Americas,
0:04:26 > 0:04:30a move that would create the people, the maps and places we know today,
0:04:30 > 0:04:34and for ever change the landscape of the entire planet.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41Other Europeans followed Columbus
0:04:41 > 0:04:43and these islands were quickly transformed.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49Today this is how most of us think of the Caribbean -
0:04:49 > 0:04:53azure waters, a tropical paradise.
0:05:03 > 0:05:07But many of the creatures that greeted Columbus have vanished,
0:05:07 > 0:05:09or are so rare
0:05:09 > 0:05:10they are only just hanging on
0:05:10 > 0:05:12in a few out-of-the-way places.
0:05:16 > 0:05:20On my journey around the Caribbean territories, I'm going to find
0:05:20 > 0:05:24those places and meet the people who are helping these animals
0:05:24 > 0:05:26fight for survival.
0:05:29 > 0:05:33Beginning with Columbus, the Caribbean's plants and animals had
0:05:33 > 0:05:38to face hundreds of alien species and the invasion is far from over.
0:05:40 > 0:05:44I have arrived at the second of the Caribbean territories -
0:05:44 > 0:05:45the Cayman Islands.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51Another tropical paradise, or so it seems.
0:05:52 > 0:05:56Beautiful reefs, a home to spectacular corals and fish.
0:06:04 > 0:06:06But one fish doesn't belong here.
0:06:08 > 0:06:10I am diving with Bradley Johnson,
0:06:10 > 0:06:14from the Cayman Islands Department of Environment,
0:06:14 > 0:06:17looking for the Caribbean's latest alien invader.
0:06:22 > 0:06:26And it doesn't take long to find one.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29A lionfish.
0:06:29 > 0:06:33It should be living on the coral reefs of the Pacific but somehow -
0:06:33 > 0:06:38nobody knows exactly how - it was introduced into the Caribbean.
0:06:39 > 0:06:43A voracious predator, it devours the native fish,
0:06:43 > 0:06:45pushing some close to extinction.
0:06:48 > 0:06:54Lionfish were first seen here in 2008, but now, in places,
0:06:54 > 0:06:57they make up to 80% of the fish population.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00And none of the local top predators will touch it.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05So why don't local species prey on the lionfish?
0:07:05 > 0:07:08First of all, it is because they are not native to our waters.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11The largest species that normally prey on reef fish, like the snappers
0:07:11 > 0:07:13and the groupers,
0:07:13 > 0:07:15don't recognise the lionfish as something they can eat.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18Another aspect is that they have venomous spines.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21They have 18 spines altogether.
0:07:21 > 0:07:2313 spines across the top
0:07:23 > 0:07:27- and then five additional spines across the bottom.- Wow.
0:07:27 > 0:07:28How powerful is the venom?
0:07:28 > 0:07:32It is not fatal but it gives you a very nasty, very painful sting.
0:07:32 > 0:07:33Really?
0:07:35 > 0:07:38But there is one predator that might help -
0:07:38 > 0:07:40us.
0:07:40 > 0:07:44Commercial fishermen have joined conservationists to hunt
0:07:44 > 0:07:47the reefs for lionfish.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04The spines are so venomous that the
0:08:04 > 0:08:08lionfish are collected in plastic buckets to protect the divers.
0:08:14 > 0:08:18Stripped of their venomous spines, they are perfectly edible.
0:08:21 > 0:08:24And local people are now encouraged to add these fish to
0:08:24 > 0:08:27traditional West Indian cuisine.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30So, how good is lionfish?
0:08:31 > 0:08:33There's only one way to find out.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38West Indian lionfish chowder.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41- Thank you very much.- Enjoy.- Thanks.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44The lionfish is, of course, the perfect eco cuisine.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47The more lionfish we eat, the fewer there are out on the reefs.
0:08:47 > 0:08:49And, of course, the more we eat,
0:08:49 > 0:08:51the fewer other endangered species, such as grouper,
0:08:51 > 0:08:53that end up on the tables.
0:08:53 > 0:08:57So it really is the perfect eco, greener-than-green choice.
0:08:57 > 0:08:59So eat 'em to beat 'em.
0:09:01 > 0:09:03Lionfish are very tasty.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08And the more people that agree with me,
0:09:08 > 0:09:11the faster we can eat the alien lionfish into extinction.
0:09:13 > 0:09:15It should work.
0:09:15 > 0:09:19In the past, it has been far too easy to eat native Caribbean
0:09:19 > 0:09:21animals to the edge of extinction.
0:09:23 > 0:09:27The queen conch, a Caribbean native prized for its flesh by local
0:09:27 > 0:09:31Indians long before Columbus arrived.
0:09:31 > 0:09:38The conch are large, slow-moving and very tasty. A recipe for disaster.
0:09:40 > 0:09:44And they once existed in numbers that defy imagination.
0:09:47 > 0:09:51In some places, Indians constructed huge artificial islands,
0:09:51 > 0:09:55many metres high, entirely out of conch shells.
0:09:56 > 0:09:58Big enough to build whole villages on.
0:10:00 > 0:10:02Yet when the first Europeans arrived,
0:10:02 > 0:10:06there were still uncountable numbers of conch in the water.
0:10:09 > 0:10:11These islands are more recent
0:10:11 > 0:10:15and tell a story of impending disaster for the queen conch.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20This entire island is made out of these spectacular
0:10:20 > 0:10:21queen conch shells.
0:10:21 > 0:10:23This is actually an endangered species
0:10:23 > 0:10:26but they are plentiful enough in these waters to be harvested,
0:10:26 > 0:10:28as long as it is done sustainably.
0:10:28 > 0:10:32You're meant to catch these adults with these big flat flanges
0:10:32 > 0:10:35and that shows it is an adult capable of reproduction.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38The problem is, many of the ones on these drifts are these babies
0:10:38 > 0:10:41that don't have that flange. That shows they are juvenile.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44When you start taking these out of the populations,
0:10:44 > 0:10:47then the whole system is heading for collapse.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52There may be a solution to this problem on the next territory
0:10:52 > 0:10:53that I visit.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56The Turks and Caicos Islands.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03This pioneering project is breeding conch in captivity.
0:11:05 > 0:11:09In the wild, most young conch die, but here they survive.
0:11:11 > 0:11:15First they are raised in tanks, and then in sea pens,
0:11:15 > 0:11:19grown big enough to have a better chance of surviving in the wild.
0:11:21 > 0:11:25Thousands are released and the rest can be sold for meat,
0:11:25 > 0:11:29to take the pressure off the wild populations while they recover.
0:11:33 > 0:11:38And these huge molluscs have become an unlikely tourist attraction.
0:11:38 > 0:11:40Did you touch him?
0:11:40 > 0:11:42I already did.
0:11:45 > 0:11:49These farms, along with marine protected areas,
0:11:49 > 0:11:51might be enough to save the conch
0:11:51 > 0:11:54but some Caribbean animals are much closer to the brink.
0:11:57 > 0:11:59Back on the Cayman Islands,
0:11:59 > 0:12:02these forests were once home to an amazing animal.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06A Grand Cayman blue iguana.
0:12:09 > 0:12:14But why isn't it blue? First thing in the morning, it is too cold.
0:12:14 > 0:12:20It needs the Caribbean sun, and as it warms up, it gradually turns
0:12:20 > 0:12:22an unusual shade of blue.
0:12:28 > 0:12:32But it was hunted for food and killed by introduced predators.
0:12:34 > 0:12:38And by the start of the millennium, there were hardly any left.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42It seemed the blue iguana would follow many other unique
0:12:42 > 0:12:45Caribbean species into oblivion.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50But not if one man could help it.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55This is Archie and he is helping Fred Burton
0:12:55 > 0:12:57and his team rescue his species.
0:12:59 > 0:13:04With almost no funding, Fred has set up an iguana breeding station
0:13:04 > 0:13:07and it is an amazing story.
0:13:08 > 0:13:1220 years ago, I could not just show you the blue iguana like this.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15- They were, to all intents and purposes, extinct.- Really?
0:13:15 > 0:13:19We didn't know where they were, we didn't know where to find them.
0:13:19 > 0:13:20We caught it just in time
0:13:20 > 0:13:25and we managed to get together 20 different individuals from the
0:13:25 > 0:13:28original wild population, some from cages, some rescued from the wild.
0:13:28 > 0:13:30We started breeding them here on a small scale
0:13:30 > 0:13:32and then it really started to pick up.
0:13:32 > 0:13:33Now what we're doing is...
0:13:33 > 0:13:36we're actually hatching 100 young blue iguanas every year,
0:13:36 > 0:13:38rearing them until they're two years old
0:13:38 > 0:13:41and then putting them out into protected areas.
0:13:41 > 0:13:43- That's amazing.- Hello!
0:13:45 > 0:13:47I think he is eyeing up your blue shirt, Stewart.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50- It is almost an iguana colour. - Yes!
0:13:50 > 0:13:52So now we're up to about 700.
0:13:52 > 0:13:54Hopefully, in another few years,
0:13:54 > 0:13:57we will hit our target which is 1,000 in the wild.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00When we reach 1,000, we don't need a captive breeding programme
0:14:00 > 0:14:04any more and Archie can join his offspring in the wild.
0:14:04 > 0:14:05His future is very bright.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08Yeah, and I really look forward to the day
0:14:08 > 0:14:11- we can close this whole captive facility down.- That's great.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14- Let all these iguanas go. - Back into the wild.- Yeah.
0:14:19 > 0:14:21The Caribbean is full of unique creatures,
0:14:21 > 0:14:24each evolved in isolation on its own island.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28And there are so many islands in the Caribbean.
0:14:28 > 0:14:32It is one of the most diverse places on the planet.
0:14:34 > 0:14:36But why are there so many islands?
0:14:41 > 0:14:44I am on my way to Montserrat to find the answer.
0:14:49 > 0:14:53Montserrat lies in the Lesser Antilles, a chain of islands
0:14:53 > 0:14:56that mark the boundary where two of the Earth's
0:14:56 > 0:14:57great tectonic plates collide.
0:14:59 > 0:15:04As they do, they push up volcanoes which create new islands.
0:15:07 > 0:15:11This is how Montserrat was born.
0:15:11 > 0:15:16And, in 1995, its volcano erupted again.
0:15:23 > 0:15:27The volcano spewed out devastating pyroclastic flows.
0:15:28 > 0:15:32Torrents of superheated gas and dust that race over the ground.
0:15:32 > 0:15:35Too fast for anything to escape.
0:15:41 > 0:15:4420 years later, some parts of the island that bore
0:15:44 > 0:15:49the worst of the pyroclastic flows, are still scenes of desolation.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52Much of the southern side of the island is now a barren ash field.
0:15:54 > 0:15:56And the capital of Montserrat, Plymouth,
0:15:56 > 0:16:00was directly in the path of the falling ash which buried
0:16:00 > 0:16:02the town up to the level of the roofs.
0:16:08 > 0:16:12The same kind of eruption from Mount Vesuvius buried Pompeii
0:16:12 > 0:16:16and Herculaneum, and walking around Plymouth today
0:16:16 > 0:16:19feels like walking through a modern version of Pompeii.
0:16:25 > 0:16:28The force of the eruption is almost impossible to imagine.
0:16:30 > 0:16:35But I have met up with Mapai, who saw the eruptions first-hand.
0:16:35 > 0:16:37He is taking me back to where he used to live.
0:16:39 > 0:16:43Stewart, some people think it is just ash, pyroclastic flows,
0:16:43 > 0:16:46but look at these boulders.
0:16:46 > 0:16:50They pelt down from the volcano, down this valley.
0:16:50 > 0:16:52- These huge rocks here? - These huge rocks.
0:16:52 > 0:16:56Can you imagine that? Destroying everything in its path.
0:16:56 > 0:17:01The homes, the villages and then came this widespread fire,
0:17:01 > 0:17:06- which we call the surge, which burnt all the vegetation.- Really?
0:17:06 > 0:17:09Look at some of the charcoal that has been left behind.
0:17:10 > 0:17:11It's an indication...
0:17:11 > 0:17:14That is how the trees got burnt
0:17:14 > 0:17:16and turned into charcoal.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19The saddest part is that the villages that were
0:17:19 > 0:17:23- here are buried under us. - How deep are they?
0:17:23 > 0:17:27About five metres below all of these pyroclastic flows.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30- These are people's homes? - These are people's homes.
0:17:30 > 0:17:34- And right where we are standing is where I am from.- Really?
0:17:38 > 0:17:42But even a volcano can't quash the Caribbean character.
0:17:43 > 0:17:47There's always a bar somewhere close and a friendly barman.
0:17:47 > 0:17:49That's what friends are for!
0:17:49 > 0:17:51- Wednesday, Thursday, Friday? - Wednesday, Thursday, Friday.
0:17:51 > 0:17:53Come on.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04Most of the islands have been developed.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07To me, they look like the front covers of exclusive
0:18:07 > 0:18:09travel brochures.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13But the vibrancy of real life here, of nature,
0:18:13 > 0:18:15has mostly disappeared.
0:18:18 > 0:18:20I need to get off the beaten track,
0:18:20 > 0:18:24to get a glimpse of what the Caribbean should look like.
0:18:24 > 0:18:26SEA BIRDS CALL
0:18:33 > 0:18:36This is Dog Island, off the coast of Anguilla.
0:18:38 > 0:18:43It is one of the most important sea bird colonies in the Caribbean.
0:18:45 > 0:18:49But, like many islands, it had a population of black rats
0:18:49 > 0:18:51which fed on sea bird eggs and chicks.
0:18:56 > 0:18:58After a campaign to get rid of them,
0:18:58 > 0:19:02in 2014, Dog Island was finally declared rat-free.
0:19:07 > 0:19:09I would love to come back in a few years.
0:19:09 > 0:19:12It could be even more spectacular than it is now.
0:19:18 > 0:19:19Brown boobies fill the air
0:19:19 > 0:19:23and magnificent frigate birds ride the tropical breezes.
0:19:40 > 0:19:44Magnificent frigates occur right across the Caribbean.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47On Dog Island, they have a safe home to breed.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51But elsewhere they face a sinister threat.
0:19:53 > 0:19:57Such as here on Great Tobago in the British Virgin Islands.
0:19:59 > 0:20:01They nest in low bushes.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05But the bushes are draped with the corpses of frigate birds.
0:20:07 > 0:20:09And this is why.
0:20:09 > 0:20:11Nylon fishing line.
0:20:13 > 0:20:17Birds fishing at sea get caught up in discarded lines.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20And when they land back on their nesting tree,
0:20:20 > 0:20:22the line gets tangled in the branches.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27The bird dies a slow death.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30And as the nylon lines never decompose,
0:20:30 > 0:20:34the nesting trees soon become deadly traps.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39I'm off to join a team of volunteers who try
0:20:39 > 0:20:42and free as many of these birds as they can.
0:20:42 > 0:20:44But it's not easy.
0:20:44 > 0:20:46Frigates have very sharp bills.
0:20:49 > 0:20:51You want to watch their beak.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54Is his beak caught? Is that why he's up here?
0:20:57 > 0:21:01The line is tangled around so many branches.
0:21:01 > 0:21:03I can see why it's lethal to these poor birds.
0:21:10 > 0:21:11OK, it's the other foot. Oh, look, it's cut!
0:21:11 > 0:21:16Now what we have to do is remove the noose of line around its leg.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27It's obviously stressful for the birds, but without our help
0:21:27 > 0:21:30they wouldn't stand a chance.
0:21:30 > 0:21:32- Poor little fella.- I know.
0:21:32 > 0:21:34He's got a fighting chance.
0:21:36 > 0:21:40The Caribbean territories are fairly easy to reach,
0:21:40 > 0:21:43but the next islands on my journey are much more remote.
0:21:45 > 0:21:48Ascension and Saint Helena lie in the centre of the Atlantic.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54Ascension is a military base with regular flights by the RAF
0:21:54 > 0:21:57from a base in the Oxfordshire countryside.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04But Ascension couldn't be more different
0:22:04 > 0:22:06from England's green and pleasant land.
0:22:07 > 0:22:11A barren volcano just a few degrees south of the Equator.
0:22:11 > 0:22:15And about halfway between Africa and South America.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23The island as been described as hell with the fires put out.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27And my first steps here felt like walking across a landscape
0:22:27 > 0:22:30on Mars, rather than a part of Britain.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38The Portuguese discovered Ascension in 1501,
0:22:38 > 0:22:41but it looked so unpromising, they never colonised it.
0:22:43 > 0:22:45And you can't really blame them.
0:22:45 > 0:22:47This jagged lava shoreline
0:22:47 > 0:22:51pounded by Atlantic surf wasn't very inviting.
0:23:02 > 0:23:06But in 1815, the British garrisoned the island.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14This uninviting spec of land had one big advantage.
0:23:16 > 0:23:20Its strategic position right in the middle of the Atlantic.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27It was used to house stores for naval and merchant vessels
0:23:27 > 0:23:29on long sea voyages.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33And some of those supplies are still here.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39But Ascension was more than just a supply depot.
0:23:39 > 0:23:45Despite appearing so barren, Ascension provided its own harvest.
0:23:45 > 0:23:50One which just crawled onto the beach, but was easy to catch.
0:23:50 > 0:23:51Green turtles.
0:23:54 > 0:23:55From the 15th century onwards,
0:23:55 > 0:23:59turtle meat fuelled the growth of Europe's empires.
0:24:02 > 0:24:04And when it was discovered in the 16th century,
0:24:04 > 0:24:08Ascension had one of the biggest green turtle colonies in the world.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13One reason why Britain claimed the island.
0:24:17 > 0:24:18But there was a problem.
0:24:18 > 0:24:22Green turtles only climb onto the beaches for a few months each year.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27These walled enclosures provided the solution.
0:24:30 > 0:24:33These vast ponds were built so that a stock of live turtles
0:24:33 > 0:24:36could be kept ready for any ship that called into port.
0:24:39 > 0:24:41Once the turtles has been caught on this beach, this winch
0:24:41 > 0:24:45could haul them up and they could be kept in here, ready to be sold.
0:24:48 > 0:24:51The turtle population was almost annihilated.
0:24:53 > 0:24:55The trade in turtle meat has long since ended
0:24:55 > 0:24:59and the turtles are now strictly protected.
0:24:59 > 0:25:01Fortunately, enough of the turtles survived
0:25:01 > 0:25:04and the population is now recovering.
0:25:04 > 0:25:06And they still nest on this very beach
0:25:06 > 0:25:09where they were once killed in huge numbers.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14They crawl out of the sea under the cover of darkness,
0:25:14 > 0:25:16when it's cooler and they won't overheat,
0:25:16 > 0:25:19as they haul themselves onto the beach.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25They're looking for somewhere to dig a nest.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30I can see... Yeah, right there!
0:25:43 > 0:25:47As you can see, she's quite a powerful digger.
0:25:47 > 0:25:49Those flippers are very strong for swimming through the ocean
0:25:49 > 0:25:51but also for moving sand.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55With each flipperful, she's moving a kilo or two of...
0:25:55 > 0:25:57HE CHUCKLES ..of sand.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00And very quickly digging a very deep hole.
0:26:02 > 0:26:05The population has now recovered
0:26:05 > 0:26:07and is the second-largest green turtle
0:26:07 > 0:26:09breeding colony in the Atlantic.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17Over the season, on this one beach alone,
0:26:17 > 0:26:22around 10,000 nests will be dug and filled with eggs.
0:26:25 > 0:26:27Most finish their task
0:26:27 > 0:26:30and return to the safety of the ocean while it's still dark.
0:26:31 > 0:26:35But a few are still returning as the dawn breaks.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39Now the struggle to reach the sea becomes more urgent.
0:26:42 > 0:26:46It won't take long for the heat of the day to become lethal.
0:27:04 > 0:27:05And some get into real trouble.
0:27:07 > 0:27:10They wander into the jagged lava at the edge of the beach
0:27:10 > 0:27:12and are now stuck.
0:27:18 > 0:27:20This girl here obviously was trying to get to the water,
0:27:20 > 0:27:24but just didn't count on finding these sharp stones and rocks here.
0:27:24 > 0:27:26If we left her, the sun, as it comes up,
0:27:26 > 0:27:29would just cook her in her shell.
0:27:29 > 0:27:30And the problem is that...
0:27:32 > 0:27:34Yep!
0:27:34 > 0:27:37That's a 300-kilo adult, so I can't lift her on my own.
0:27:39 > 0:27:42'Luckily, groups of squaddies from the local RAF base
0:27:42 > 0:27:46'join conservationists in early-morning turtle rescue squads.'
0:27:49 > 0:27:51- Come on!- You all right?
0:27:51 > 0:27:53Yeah. That's it.
0:27:56 > 0:27:57'Instead of eating the turtles,
0:27:57 > 0:28:00'people stationed here now help save them.
0:28:00 > 0:28:03'Though it's not easy.'
0:28:03 > 0:28:04Oh, there's one!
0:28:06 > 0:28:10There's a load more down here, they can have up to 11 each day.
0:28:10 > 0:28:12So it's a big task.
0:28:14 > 0:28:16Have you got...? Oh, you've got one. Keep going.
0:28:16 > 0:28:19Don't drop her, don't drop her. Keep going, keep going! Oh!
0:28:19 > 0:28:22'These turtles are so much heavier than they look.'
0:28:29 > 0:28:31Keep going, keep going.
0:28:36 > 0:28:37And she's away!
0:28:37 > 0:28:41That's one exhausted turtle. Good luck to you!
0:28:44 > 0:28:47Back in the early days of exploration,
0:28:47 > 0:28:51the other thing that passing ships needed was fresh water.
0:28:51 > 0:28:55The parched slopes of Ascension don't look very hopeful.
0:28:56 > 0:28:59But when the Royal Navy garrisoned the island,
0:28:59 > 0:29:02a regular supply of fresh water was vital.
0:29:05 > 0:29:08Yet there's plenty of fresh water here.
0:29:09 > 0:29:12In the form of mist condensed from moisture-laden winds
0:29:12 > 0:29:15blowing over the high Ascension peaks.
0:29:17 > 0:29:19All it took was for two free-thinking visitors
0:29:19 > 0:29:21to invent an unusual solution.
0:29:22 > 0:29:27Charles Darwin called in here as he travelled the world in HMS Beagle.
0:29:28 > 0:29:30Then later, his good friend,
0:29:30 > 0:29:34botanist Joseph Hooker, also came to the island.
0:29:35 > 0:29:39They thought that plants could wring water out from those clouds
0:29:39 > 0:29:42and they persuaded the British government to send
0:29:42 > 0:29:45all manner of plants to this barren volcano.
0:29:51 > 0:29:54By the 1850s, the plants started to arrive.
0:29:54 > 0:29:57They came from Kew, all across Europe,
0:29:57 > 0:29:59South Africa and as far afield as Argentina.
0:29:59 > 0:30:02And they were planted on this mountain behind me.
0:30:04 > 0:30:07Although they don't normally grow together, the plants
0:30:07 > 0:30:11quickly formed natural-looking layers up the mountain.
0:30:11 > 0:30:14The first layer on these dry lower slopes
0:30:14 > 0:30:16was made of these eucalyptus trees from Australia
0:30:16 > 0:30:20and these succulent cacti from South America.
0:30:20 > 0:30:23It's hot and semi-arid.
0:30:23 > 0:30:25Halfway up, it's much wetter
0:30:25 > 0:30:28and home to these tropical rainforest trees
0:30:28 > 0:30:30and bananas from Asia.
0:30:37 > 0:30:40The upper slopes and the summit of the mountain are much cooler
0:30:40 > 0:30:43and they're home to this mossy montane cloud forest.
0:30:45 > 0:30:48And it's really interesting that you get these three layers.
0:30:48 > 0:30:52These layers occur on tropical mountains across the world.
0:30:52 > 0:30:55And the fact that they've developed and stratified like that
0:30:55 > 0:30:58in such a short time is just nothing short of amazing.
0:31:01 > 0:31:03Even more amazing, this man-made forest
0:31:03 > 0:31:07did exactly what Darwin and Hooker hoped it would.
0:31:08 > 0:31:11Different plant species were selected to trap more
0:31:11 > 0:31:13and more humidity from the air.
0:31:13 > 0:31:16This is one of the original ficus trees that Joseph Hooker sent
0:31:16 > 0:31:19down from Kew over a century and a half ago.
0:31:19 > 0:31:22And he selected this tree specifically because these
0:31:22 > 0:31:26highly-divided branches and these long roots are all covered in moss.
0:31:26 > 0:31:29And that dramatically increases the surface area
0:31:29 > 0:31:31by which the moisture can be trapped.
0:31:31 > 0:31:33And the results couldn't be more efficient.
0:31:33 > 0:31:35There's been no rain up on this mountaintop today,
0:31:35 > 0:31:39but, as you can see, the roots are literally dripping with moisture.
0:31:44 > 0:31:47And Darwin and Hooker's experiment has also helped
0:31:47 > 0:31:50some Ascension natives - land crabs.
0:31:53 > 0:31:57For most of the year, they only live on these mountain slopes,
0:31:57 > 0:32:01where there's enough moisture to survive.
0:32:01 > 0:32:04Now, the growth of this alien rainforest provides them
0:32:04 > 0:32:08with plenty of water, as well as vegetation for food.
0:32:12 > 0:32:15But to breed, they must release their eggs into the sea.
0:32:15 > 0:32:19And to do that, they'll have to trek down to that distant bay.
0:32:20 > 0:32:22A journey of well over a week.
0:32:23 > 0:32:26And they'll have to cross parched lava fields.
0:32:26 > 0:32:29A deathtrap if a crab is caught out in the baking sun.
0:32:38 > 0:32:41They must make their journey under the cover of darkness.
0:32:43 > 0:32:46So it's about ten o'clock or so now at night...
0:32:46 > 0:32:49The crabs love the night because it's cooler.
0:32:49 > 0:32:51And especially after heavy rainfalls.
0:32:51 > 0:32:54And actually, there's one right there!
0:32:55 > 0:32:57There!
0:33:01 > 0:33:03Oh, it's a big one! This...
0:33:03 > 0:33:07Come on, you! This is a male.
0:33:07 > 0:33:09You can tell by his small tail.
0:33:09 > 0:33:12In the female, it's much bigger to carry all those eggs.
0:33:12 > 0:33:15And this is about as big as this species gets,
0:33:15 > 0:33:17so he's definitely a mature specimen
0:33:17 > 0:33:20going down to the beach to meet some lucky ladies.
0:33:20 > 0:33:23So let's follow him and see what they're up to.
0:33:26 > 0:33:30The males can mate anywhere along the migration route,
0:33:30 > 0:33:32so few of them bother to make the long trek
0:33:32 > 0:33:34all the way down to the beach.
0:33:41 > 0:33:45All of the crabs that have made it this far, they're all females.
0:33:45 > 0:33:49And you can see her massive dark eggs supported by her tail here.
0:33:49 > 0:33:52They're incredibly enthusiastic and keen to get down to the ocean,
0:33:52 > 0:33:54so we'd better let them to it.
0:34:01 > 0:34:04The crabs wait for waves to break over them,
0:34:04 > 0:34:07then shake themselves to release their eggs.
0:34:07 > 0:34:10If they can, they'll hang onto the rocks.
0:34:10 > 0:34:14These are land crabs and will drown if swept out to sea.
0:34:26 > 0:34:29There used to be huge numbers of crabs living here,
0:34:29 > 0:34:31but now the population is much lower.
0:34:33 > 0:34:37Today, some are killed on Ascension's roads.
0:34:37 > 0:34:40In the past, hundreds of thousands were killed as pests.
0:34:48 > 0:34:50But when the first explorers arrived,
0:34:50 > 0:34:54they had an even bigger effect on the island's wildlife.
0:34:59 > 0:35:05The ships that called here left behind cats and rats and mice.
0:35:10 > 0:35:13Originally, the island was teeming with birdlife,
0:35:13 > 0:35:15like these sooty terns.
0:35:15 > 0:35:17SQUAWKING
0:35:17 > 0:35:22These vast bird populations are incredibly vulnerable
0:35:22 > 0:35:25and unadapted to cope with introduced predators.
0:35:25 > 0:35:28And these sooty terns really demonstrate the point.
0:35:28 > 0:35:32All of the birds here nest directly on the ground.
0:35:32 > 0:35:37And because their only defence is to peck, to squawk or fly away,
0:35:37 > 0:35:39their chicks and eggs were just decimated
0:35:39 > 0:35:41by the cats, the rats and the mice.
0:35:41 > 0:35:44And, as a result, their numbers plummeted.
0:36:03 > 0:36:05Vast swathes of the island that were once home
0:36:05 > 0:36:08to millions of birds fell silent.
0:36:08 > 0:36:10These white splotches here on the rocks,
0:36:10 > 0:36:14this is the baked guano of bird populations
0:36:14 > 0:36:17that were wiped out up to a century ago.
0:36:18 > 0:36:21But there's one place where I can get a glimpse of what
0:36:21 > 0:36:25Ascension used to look like - Boatswain Bird Island.
0:36:25 > 0:36:28Still glowing white with fresh guano.
0:36:32 > 0:36:36Cats, rats and mice never made it to Boatswain Bird Island,
0:36:36 > 0:36:38so this remote outcrop became
0:36:38 > 0:36:41a refuge where the last of the sea birds survived.
0:36:45 > 0:36:47It's a really hard place to get to,
0:36:47 > 0:36:51across a rough channel the locals call Shark Alley.
0:36:51 > 0:36:55And it's protected by steep cliffs covered in crumbling guano.
0:36:59 > 0:37:02No-one has filmed on this island for 20 years.
0:37:02 > 0:37:04But the effort is more than worth it.
0:37:04 > 0:37:08Every square metre is packed with different sea birds.
0:37:10 > 0:37:14The cliffs are home to delicate-looking fairy terns.
0:37:16 > 0:37:19They're blown like scraps of paper on the breeze.
0:37:19 > 0:37:22But they're much tougher than they look.
0:37:25 > 0:37:29Tropicbirds also ride the Atlantic winds.
0:37:29 > 0:37:33This is the boatswain bird, which gave its name to the island.
0:37:44 > 0:37:46It's a tricky climb to the top,
0:37:46 > 0:37:49but this is what much of Ascension would once have looked like.
0:37:49 > 0:37:51Packed with masked boobies.
0:37:51 > 0:37:54SQUAWKING
0:38:02 > 0:38:05But there is one very special bird here,
0:38:05 > 0:38:07the Ascension Island frigatebird.
0:38:09 > 0:38:12This is the only place in the world where it lives.
0:38:17 > 0:38:19This island is so incredibly important.
0:38:19 > 0:38:22When the Ascension frigatebird was wiped out on the mainland,
0:38:22 > 0:38:25this is the only place in the world where it survived.
0:38:25 > 0:38:28About 10,000 birds live here,
0:38:28 > 0:38:31and, without this island, the entire species would become extinct.
0:38:36 > 0:38:38Over the last few decades,
0:38:38 > 0:38:42huge efforts have been made to clear the main island of feral cats.
0:38:42 > 0:38:47And in 2006 it was finally declared cat-free.
0:38:49 > 0:38:51And it didn't take long for many of the birds
0:38:51 > 0:38:55to reclaim their former home on the mainland of Ascension.
0:38:57 > 0:39:01Noddy terns, tropicbirds,
0:39:01 > 0:39:05masked boobies and brown boobies.
0:39:07 > 0:39:10Everything except the threatened Ascension frigate.
0:39:11 > 0:39:14So again, the conservationists stepped in
0:39:14 > 0:39:17by making model frigatebirds.
0:39:17 > 0:39:19In 2011, these decoys were put here
0:39:19 > 0:39:22to try and attract the Ascension frigatebird
0:39:22 > 0:39:25back to the mainland from Boatswain Bird Island.
0:39:26 > 0:39:28Would the frigates be fooled?
0:39:28 > 0:39:33While I was on the island, something very special happened.
0:39:37 > 0:39:41In late 2012, two pairs of Ascension frigatebirds
0:39:41 > 0:39:43returned back to the mainland.
0:39:43 > 0:39:46Of those two pairs, one failed to raise a chick
0:39:46 > 0:39:48and the other succeeded.
0:39:48 > 0:39:51This little fella here in front of me,
0:39:51 > 0:39:53he's the very first Ascension frigatebird
0:39:53 > 0:39:57back on Ascension mainland for over 180 years.
0:40:01 > 0:40:05Since my visit, many more frigates have bred on the mainland.
0:40:06 > 0:40:10Their return, and that of the green turtles,
0:40:10 > 0:40:12is a real success story for conservation.
0:40:14 > 0:40:16As I prepare to leave Ascension,
0:40:16 > 0:40:20the next generation of turtles is also heading out to sea.
0:40:22 > 0:40:27It might be 50 years before these hatchlings mature, but when they do
0:40:27 > 0:40:32they'll be able to find this tiny speck of land to come home to breed.
0:40:35 > 0:40:39My next destination is another speck of land.
0:40:39 > 0:40:40The island of St Helena.
0:40:42 > 0:40:46I flew to Ascension in just over eight hours
0:40:46 > 0:40:51but St Helena is 1,300 kilometres south of Ascension
0:40:51 > 0:40:53and can only be reached by ship.
0:40:54 > 0:40:56And not just any ship.
0:40:56 > 0:40:59This is one of the last working Royal Mail ships -
0:40:59 > 0:41:00the RMS St Helena.
0:41:00 > 0:41:03We're about to get on to the launches.
0:41:03 > 0:41:06So, it's goodbye to Ascension and hello to St Helena.
0:41:09 > 0:41:12Royal Mail ships were contracted to carry the royal mail,
0:41:12 > 0:41:16and the mail had to be delivered on time.
0:41:16 > 0:41:19So, ships bearing the RMS designation were really efficient.
0:41:20 > 0:41:24Any ship displaying the crown insignia was seen as special.
0:41:31 > 0:41:32SHIP HORN BLASTS
0:41:32 > 0:41:35Ever since I was a child I've dreamt about coming on this famous vessel.
0:41:35 > 0:41:38The RMS St Helena has a really special place for these
0:41:38 > 0:41:40Atlantic territories.
0:41:40 > 0:41:42At the moment, it's the only way of getting cargo, people
0:41:42 > 0:41:44and livestock to St Helena.
0:41:46 > 0:41:49It's going to take three days to sail from Ascension to St Helena.
0:41:49 > 0:41:52And to pass the time on these voyages
0:41:52 > 0:41:55the RMS St Helena has its own customs and traditions.
0:41:58 > 0:42:00One of them is deck cricket.
0:42:00 > 0:42:03A classic English scene in the middle of the Atlantic.
0:42:07 > 0:42:09Next bowler!
0:42:12 > 0:42:14Oh!
0:42:14 > 0:42:16Oh, no!
0:42:16 > 0:42:18'Sadly, I was never good at sports.'
0:42:23 > 0:42:25ALL: Oh!
0:42:25 > 0:42:27APPLAUSE
0:42:27 > 0:42:29I forgot to tell you.
0:42:29 > 0:42:31You're the captain, so for every run you lose by,
0:42:31 > 0:42:33- you've got to buy us a drink. - No way!
0:42:37 > 0:42:40It took all three days to pay off my drink debt.
0:42:40 > 0:42:44But my first glimpse of St Helena left me in no doubt it was worth it.
0:42:46 > 0:42:47We've been steaming for three days,
0:42:47 > 0:42:50now I'm finally approaching St Helena.
0:42:50 > 0:42:52This is Jamestown harbour just down here in the foreground.
0:42:52 > 0:42:56'The people of St Helena, known as Saints,
0:42:56 > 0:42:58'are famous for their warmth and hospitality.'
0:42:58 > 0:43:01- Really nice to meet you. - Welcome to St Helena.- Thank you.
0:43:01 > 0:43:04'Robert, the taxi driver, offered to show me around.'
0:43:04 > 0:43:05Thank you.
0:43:09 > 0:43:11Lovely.
0:43:18 > 0:43:21St Helena is the second oldest territory after Bermuda.
0:43:24 > 0:43:28Jamestown was founded in 1659 by the East India Company
0:43:28 > 0:43:32and its long history can be seen around every corner.
0:43:33 > 0:43:37It was granted city status by Queen Victoria.
0:43:37 > 0:43:39A British city in the middle of the Atlantic.
0:44:10 > 0:44:13'Like Ascension, St Helena was a vital supply depot
0:44:13 > 0:44:14'for sailing ships.
0:44:16 > 0:44:19'And one of its most important products was rope.
0:44:19 > 0:44:21'Made from flax.'
0:44:21 > 0:44:24This is where the flax grows, loads of flax.
0:44:24 > 0:44:26Down here, I'll show you where some is.
0:44:26 > 0:44:29'New Zealand flax was introduced to St Helena
0:44:29 > 0:44:32'in the first half of the 19th century.'
0:44:32 > 0:44:35'It has tough fibres, perfect for making rope.'
0:44:35 > 0:44:38In here is the fibre.
0:44:38 > 0:44:41- Right.- See the fibre there? - I see, yes.
0:44:41 > 0:44:44- This...- Strong, very strong. - Very strong.
0:44:45 > 0:44:49Very strong. You can see why it's good for making ropes.
0:44:52 > 0:44:57Rope making on St Helena reached a peak in the 1930s
0:44:57 > 0:45:00when more than 3,000 acres of flax were under cultivation.
0:45:02 > 0:45:06But the industry collapsed in 1965 with the arrival of synthetic fibres
0:45:06 > 0:45:08like nylon.
0:45:09 > 0:45:12All that's left are the abandoned flax mills.
0:45:13 > 0:45:16Echoes of a once thriving industry.
0:45:18 > 0:45:21Yet, flax is far more than just a historical footnote.
0:45:22 > 0:45:26The conditions on St Helena were ideal for the plant
0:45:26 > 0:45:29and it soon escaped from the plantations.
0:45:33 > 0:45:36The flax plants now cover vast areas of the island.
0:45:36 > 0:45:39Many of the ridgetops, such as this one behind me,
0:45:39 > 0:45:41are completely covered with flax.
0:45:41 > 0:45:43Of course, the impact of that is that many of the native plants
0:45:43 > 0:45:47and animals have been completely displaced.
0:45:47 > 0:45:50'And flax is just one of many alien plants and animals
0:45:50 > 0:45:53'that are changing this unique island.'
0:45:53 > 0:45:55The landscape across St Helena
0:45:55 > 0:45:58might look green and lush and covered with vegetation,
0:45:58 > 0:46:00but what we are looking at is a broken ecosystem.
0:46:00 > 0:46:03Pretty much all the plants and the trees you can see here
0:46:03 > 0:46:05have been introduced by man.
0:46:05 > 0:46:07The original plants and animals, the endemics,
0:46:07 > 0:46:09they're restricted to these hilltops,
0:46:09 > 0:46:12the last places on the island where they survive.
0:46:13 > 0:46:17On these remote ridges daisies grow into trees.
0:46:17 > 0:46:21Just one of dozens of unique plants and animals.
0:46:22 > 0:46:24Some are now lost for ever...
0:46:25 > 0:46:28..and some reduced to just one or two individuals.
0:46:30 > 0:46:34One example is the unfortunately named bastard gumwood tree.
0:46:36 > 0:46:40This is one of the last two remaining bastard gumwood trees in the world.
0:46:40 > 0:46:43There's this tree here and another on the other side
0:46:43 > 0:46:46of the island several kilometres away, and that's it for the species.
0:46:46 > 0:46:49The entire effort to save this tree from extinction rests on these
0:46:49 > 0:46:51two individuals.
0:46:54 > 0:46:56The St Helena National Trust
0:46:56 > 0:46:59is fighting to save the remaining species.
0:46:59 > 0:47:02Dr Rebecca Cairns-Wicks took me out
0:47:02 > 0:47:06to the Millennium Forest where native species are being replanted.
0:47:10 > 0:47:13Seeds have been collected from the last remaining plants
0:47:13 > 0:47:16and grown on in a specialist nursery on the island.
0:47:23 > 0:47:28We have got species now that were reduced to one or two individuals,
0:47:28 > 0:47:31which are now in their thousands,
0:47:31 > 0:47:36planted in either safe, cultivated sites or semi-wild conditions.
0:47:36 > 0:47:39And they are doing much, much better
0:47:39 > 0:47:42and, hopefully, starting that process
0:47:42 > 0:47:44of regeneration for the future.
0:47:46 > 0:47:49And as the native forests and grasslands are rebuilt,
0:47:49 > 0:47:52there's also hope for creatures that depend upon them.
0:47:52 > 0:47:54The spiky yellow woodlouse.
0:47:54 > 0:47:58Still only a few hundred individuals left.
0:47:58 > 0:48:01Or the wirebird, a kind of plover,
0:48:01 > 0:48:05that's become the symbol of St Helena's conservation programmes.
0:48:13 > 0:48:15But there's still a long way to go.
0:48:15 > 0:48:17Generations of introduced grazes
0:48:17 > 0:48:20have stripped the native vegetation from some slopes,
0:48:20 > 0:48:24turning them as barren as Ascension's ash fields.
0:48:33 > 0:48:38One reason for St Helena's unique wildlife is its remote location.
0:48:39 > 0:48:43Animals and plants evolved here isolated from the rest of the world.
0:48:46 > 0:48:50And it was this extreme isolation that made St Helena
0:48:50 > 0:48:53the perfect place for the island's most famous human resident.
0:48:55 > 0:48:56Napoleon Bonaparte.
0:48:58 > 0:49:03The house he stayed in, Longwood House, still stands.
0:49:03 > 0:49:06I'm here to meet Joan Thomas who looks after the place.
0:49:09 > 0:49:12Napoleon was exiled to Longwood House
0:49:12 > 0:49:14after his defeat at Waterloo in 1815.
0:49:16 > 0:49:19To be imprisoned on such a tiny island must have been
0:49:19 > 0:49:23the worst punishment for a man who hoped to conquer the world.
0:49:23 > 0:49:26And his health soon deteriorated.
0:49:28 > 0:49:32He died in 1821 after six years imprisoned on the island.
0:49:32 > 0:49:35- He actually died in this room. - Did he really?
0:49:35 > 0:49:39And because he died in this room there's nothing original
0:49:39 > 0:49:43because the French got very sentimental about the whole thing
0:49:43 > 0:49:45and they took everything to France.
0:49:45 > 0:49:47He was buried here.
0:49:47 > 0:49:51But in 1840 his body was also taken back to France.
0:49:54 > 0:49:57Even so, the French flag still flies
0:49:57 > 0:50:00at the centre of this remote British territory.
0:50:03 > 0:50:06St Helena and Ascension played a key role
0:50:06 > 0:50:08in the days of the British Empire.
0:50:09 > 0:50:12But the last two overseas territories in my three-year journey
0:50:12 > 0:50:16have played vital roles in much more recent military history.
0:50:22 > 0:50:26My next stop is on the island of Cyprus in the Mediterranean.
0:50:32 > 0:50:35The famous Red Arrows come here to practise
0:50:35 > 0:50:37under clear Mediterranean skies.
0:50:44 > 0:50:47When Cyprus gained its independence in 1960,
0:50:47 > 0:50:51the newest of the UK Overseas Territories came into existence.
0:50:56 > 0:51:00Two areas on the island, Akrotiri and Dhekelia,
0:51:00 > 0:51:02are still under British control
0:51:02 > 0:51:04as the Sovereign Base Areas.
0:51:10 > 0:51:13Contained within the Sovereign Base Areas are habitats
0:51:13 > 0:51:15that are rare in the Mediterranean.
0:51:15 > 0:51:19Like lagoons and marshes that feed exotic-looking birds.
0:51:21 > 0:51:25The salt lake at Akrotiri draws greater flamingos...
0:51:27 > 0:51:32..just one of 260 species of birds recorded on the Akrotiri Peninsula.
0:51:43 > 0:51:47Historical sites are also preserved within the Sovereign Base Areas.
0:51:54 > 0:51:57Cliff sides, honeycombed with ancient tombs.
0:52:01 > 0:52:03And the ruins of beautifully preserved temples.
0:52:05 > 0:52:08There's a wealth of history here.
0:52:08 > 0:52:09In just a few minutes,
0:52:09 > 0:52:13I can gather handfuls of broken pottery from Roman times onwards.
0:52:18 > 0:52:22The island has been strategically important since ancient times.
0:52:22 > 0:52:23And it still is.
0:52:24 > 0:52:27And that's also true of a tiny spit of land
0:52:27 > 0:52:30right at the other end of the Mediterranean.
0:52:30 > 0:52:34I've got just one more territory left to visit.
0:52:34 > 0:52:38One that's had an even more important role in recent history.
0:52:39 > 0:52:41Gibraltar.
0:52:42 > 0:52:44It's named after the iconic rock at its heart.
0:52:46 > 0:52:50Called the Mountain of Tariq by Moorish settlers in Spain...
0:52:50 > 0:52:51Jabal Tariq.
0:52:58 > 0:53:01Gibraltar is a tiny overseas territory.
0:53:03 > 0:53:05Just six square kilometres.
0:53:07 > 0:53:08It was captured from Spain
0:53:08 > 0:53:11by a joint Dutch and British force in 1704
0:53:11 > 0:53:14and formally ceded to Britain nine years later.
0:53:18 > 0:53:22Now, it's home to 30,000 Gibraltarians...
0:53:22 > 0:53:24with a proud and unique identity.
0:53:24 > 0:53:26DRUMBEAT
0:53:30 > 0:53:33Twice a year, the Royal Gibraltar Regiment
0:53:33 > 0:53:36re-enact the locking of the city's defensive gates
0:53:36 > 0:53:38in the face of the Spanish.
0:53:38 > 0:53:40DOG BARKS
0:53:42 > 0:53:44The Ceremony of the Keys.
0:53:46 > 0:53:49And Britain never gave up Gibraltar.
0:53:49 > 0:53:52They saw the Rock as a major strategic location.
0:53:56 > 0:54:00Gibraltar played a key role as a supply depot in the days
0:54:00 > 0:54:02leading up to Nelson's victory at Trafalgar.
0:54:04 > 0:54:08And it proved its worth again during the Second World War.
0:54:12 > 0:54:16Gibraltar commands the narrow entrance to the Mediterranean.
0:54:17 > 0:54:20Without control of the Rock, there might have been
0:54:20 > 0:54:24no North Africa campaign and no vital Second Front in Europe.
0:54:25 > 0:54:28So, Churchill ordered the construction
0:54:28 > 0:54:32of a vast network of tunnels within the Rock itself,
0:54:32 > 0:54:34making an impregnable fortress.
0:54:35 > 0:54:37TUNING RADIO
0:54:39 > 0:54:43He even built secret chambers which would be manned by a special
0:54:43 > 0:54:47top secret team if the Rock fell to German forces.
0:54:48 > 0:54:52The tunnels and chambers were lined with cork to deaden sound.
0:54:54 > 0:54:57And the mission of the stay-behinds was to sneak through the tunnels
0:54:57 > 0:54:59to spy on the Germans.
0:55:00 > 0:55:03Secret tunnels and chambers.
0:55:03 > 0:55:05It seems more like a scene from a James Bond film.
0:55:07 > 0:55:09But if the Rock had fallen...
0:55:09 > 0:55:11this would have been reality.
0:55:14 > 0:55:16Of all the territories I've visited,
0:55:16 > 0:55:20the strategic importance of Gibraltar is the most obvious.
0:55:20 > 0:55:24The entrance to the Mediterranean is very narrow.
0:55:24 > 0:55:27Africa is clearly visible from the Rock.
0:55:27 > 0:55:30There are other African connections here.
0:55:30 > 0:55:32Barbary macaques.
0:55:32 > 0:55:36A type of monkey that normally lives in the mountains of North Africa.
0:55:40 > 0:55:44The monkeys may have been introduced from North Africa
0:55:44 > 0:55:46long before the British came here,
0:55:46 > 0:55:49but they've made the Rock their home.
0:55:49 > 0:55:52The only wild population of monkeys in Europe.
0:55:56 > 0:55:57MONKEYS BARK
0:55:57 > 0:56:00They're now as iconic as the Rock itself.
0:56:03 > 0:56:06They used to be under the care of the British Army
0:56:06 > 0:56:07with an officer in charge...
0:56:07 > 0:56:10responsible for feeding and maintaining
0:56:10 > 0:56:12the most unruly troupe in his regiment.
0:56:16 > 0:56:20Today, the local natural history society looks after them.
0:56:22 > 0:56:25There was good reason for the Army to attach such importance
0:56:25 > 0:56:27to this colony of monkeys.
0:56:27 > 0:56:29'An age-old legend is
0:56:29 > 0:56:31that if the macaques ever left Gibraltar
0:56:31 > 0:56:34the Rock would fall and the British would leave.
0:56:34 > 0:56:38Winston Churchill believed in this legend so resolutely that,
0:56:38 > 0:56:40during World War II,
0:56:40 > 0:56:42as the macaque population levels were falling,
0:56:42 > 0:56:46he ordered the military authorities to fly in macaques from Africa
0:56:46 > 0:56:49to bolster the local population and boost troop morale.
0:56:50 > 0:56:53'It doesn't look like these monkeys have any plans to leave
0:56:53 > 0:56:56'their comfortable home just yet.'
0:57:01 > 0:57:03It's taken me three years
0:57:03 > 0:57:08but I finally made it to every one of the UK's overseas territories.
0:57:08 > 0:57:13What I found are the jewels in the crown of the UK's natural heritage.
0:57:14 > 0:57:16From an ice-bound wilderness
0:57:16 > 0:57:17to tropical wonderlands.
0:57:25 > 0:57:29I've seen some of the most impressive wildlife spectacles
0:57:29 > 0:57:30on the planet.
0:57:32 > 0:57:34I've met some extraordinary people
0:57:34 > 0:57:37working to preserve this natural heritage,
0:57:37 > 0:57:41to safeguard the real treasure of these treasure islands,
0:57:41 > 0:57:44and who have shown me that, with dedication,
0:57:44 > 0:57:47we can rescue species from near-extinction.
0:57:49 > 0:57:51Their wildlife heritage is an integral part
0:57:51 > 0:57:54of the overseas territories,
0:57:54 > 0:57:57and nowhere more than on the last place I visited - Gibraltar.
0:57:59 > 0:58:03As the legend tells us - if the monkeys leave, the Rock will fall.
0:58:04 > 0:58:06'But at the start of the 21st century
0:58:06 > 0:58:09perhaps the legend should be reversed.
0:58:09 > 0:58:11It's the responsibility of the UK government
0:58:11 > 0:58:13to ensure that the macaques
0:58:13 > 0:58:16and all of this incredible wealth of wildlife
0:58:16 > 0:58:18survives long into the future.