The vast majority of Britain's biodiversity is overseas – and often overlooked. Yet the flora and fauna of the tiny remnants of the British Empire are a conservation priority on the global stage, and the story of these remarkable 'Fragments of Paradise' is one of past neglect being transformed into action and success (Oldfield 1987; DoE 1994; UKDTCF 1996; Oldfield & Sheppard 1997).