Gough Island and Inaccessible Island

These islands, located in the south Atlantic, are one of the least-disrupted island and marine ecosystems in the cool temperate zone. The spectacular cliffs of Gough and Inaccessible Islands, towering above the ocean, are free of introduced mammals and home to one of the world’s largest colonies of sea birds. Gough Island is home to two endemic species of land birds, the gallinule and the Gough rowettie, as well as to 12 endemic species of plants, while Inaccessible Island boasts two birds, eight plants and at least 10 invertebrates endemic to the island.

Inaccessible Island's values complement those of Gough Island. It is also largely pristine and is one of the few temperate oceanic islands without introduced mammals. It has two birds, eight plants and 10 invertebrates found nowhere else, 70 terrestrial plant and animal species are restricted to the islands and 60 marine species are endemic to the island group .

Gough Island has had a long and complicated volcanic history. Five major phases of activity have left distinctive rock masses. Numerous different centres helped to build up the land mass that now exists, and some of them continued activity into comparatively recent tines; the most recent minor eruption probably took place about 2300 years ago. No activity has been recorded since men began to visit the island.