Top 10 irreplaceable nature reserves on Earth - in pictures

The cloud forests of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta national park of Colombia are most irreplaceable nature reserve on Earth. They have been threatened by drug growing, herbicide spraying to kill the drug crops and now housing developments. Valuable species include the critically endangered harlequin frog, the unicolored oldfield mouse and the green and orange Santa Marta parakeet. Area: 4,050sqkm The most irreplaceable nature reserve on Earth is the cloud forests of this high peak. They have been threatened by drug growing, herbicide spraying to kill the drugs and now housing developments Photograph: Robin Moore

The green and orange Santa Marta parakeet is among the many critically endangered species living in the misty mountains of Colombia Photograph: ProAves

Western Ghats world heritage site, India. This thin chain of coastal hills is home to many endangered species including Asian elephants, lion-tailed macaques and nilgiri tahr, a mountain goat. Tea and coffee plantations have fragmented the forests, while new roads and mines present the current danger. Area: 8,165sqkm Photograph: Kalyan Varma

The Nilgiri tahr, mountain goats, make these rocky cliffs their home. They need these steep vertical rocks to escape predators Photograph: Kalyan Varma

Formaciones de Tepuyes natural monument, Venezuela. The protected area is famous for its tepuis, table-top mountains that create a landscape of soaring cliffs with flat tops and plunging waterfalls. Species have evolved on its isolated plateaus that exist nowhere else. It is of global importance for dozens of species, including Fernandez's sword-nosed bat, the saffron-breasted redstart bird and a very rare bright-red frog called the Sapito Rojo Del Yapacana Area: 51352km2 Photograph: Charles Besancon

One of the many species of amphibians endemic to the tepuis, the Roraima black frog (Oreophrynella quelchii) is restricted to the summit of two tepuis, Mount Roraima and Wei-Assipo-Tepui Photograph: Charles Besancon

The Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California world heritage site, Mexico. The site's 244 islands and coastal reserves are globally important for a series of critically endangered rabbits and mice, including the Monserrat Island, Coronados and Catalina deer mice, the San Jose brush rabbit and the San Jose Island kangaroo rat. The spectacular cliff-ringed islands and the waters around are also very important for marine mammals, fish and plants. Area: 22,834 sqkm Photograph: Franck GUiziou /Hemis.fr/Getty Images

A desert kangaroo rat (Dipodomys deserti) found on the Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California, Mexico Photograph: Norman Owen Tomalin/Alamy

Galápagos Islands world heritage site, Ecuador. The most famous and largest of the most irreplaceable nature reserves on Earth are the islands made famous by Charles Darwin. His work on the inhabitants of the 19 islands in 1835 inspired his theory of evolution by natural selection, particularly the finches. Many of those are now at risk including the ground, tree, woodpecker and cactus finches, as well as the Galapagos Hawk and the Floreana Mockingbird. Area: 146,678 sqkm Photograph: Frans Lanting/Corbis

A sharp-beaked ground-finch (Geospiza difficilis) sits on a cactus in the Galapagos Islands Photograph: Steve Gettle/Minden Pictures/Corbis

Rainforests of the Atsinanana world heritage site, Madagascar. The island is one of the hottest biodiversity hotspots on Earth and the tropical rainforests in eastern Madagascar are home to many species that exist nowhere else. There are only 100 greater bamboo lemurs left and the red-ruffed lemur is seriously threatened too. Area: 4,811 sqkm Photograph: Russell A. Mittermeier/Conservation International

Red ruffed lemur (Varecia rubra) are found in rainforests of the Atsinanana, Madagascar Photograph: Russell A. Mittermeier

Wet tropics of Queensland, Australia. This 450km-long stretch of rainforest is globally important for many marsupials, birds and amphibians, including the musky rat kangaroo, Lumholtz’s tree kangaroo, Sharman’s rock wallaby and the Lemuroid ringtail possum. The mahogany glider and the beautiful nursery frog are particularly threatened. Area: 8,988 sqkm Photograph: Peter Walton Photography/Photolibrary/Getty Images

Lumholtz's tree kangaroo (Dendrolagus lumholtzi) in north Queensland, Australia Photograph: Dave Watts/Alamy

Palawan Game Refuge and Bird Sanctuary, Philippines. This tropical island, which avoided the worst of Typhoon Haiyan, is home to globally important populations of mammals, birds and amphibians. The islands is at least 80% of the global range for many of the mammals including the Palawan stink-badger, Phillipine porcupine, Palawan flying Fox, Philippine pangolin and the Palawan bearded pig Photograph: Danita Delimont/Gallo Images/Getty Images

Flying foxes, Philippines Photograph: WIN-Initiative/Getty Images

Central highlands of Sri Lanka World Heritage Site. The forests of Sri Lanka have been mostly cut down by farmers and those left are still threatened by tea planters. They are particularly rich in amphibians, with 100 new species having been discovered in the last 20 years Photograph: Kimberley Coole/Lonely Planet Images/Getty Images

The copper coloured frog Pseudophilautus hoffmanni was only described in 2005 Photograph: Madhava Meegaskumbura

Sureste del Lago de Maracaibo Sto. Domingo-Motatán Protective Zone, Venezuela. The mountains east and south of Lake Maracaibo are near the main oil fields of Venuezuela, a heavily degraded region. They are particularly precious for the critically endangered toads which only exist there, including the leopard and scarlet harlequin toads, and also the skunk frog Photograph: Planet Observer/UIG/Rex Features

A leopard toad Photograph: Arco Images GmbH/Alamy