UK wildlife ‘continues to decline and degrade’ with one in six species at risk of extinction
The UK’s wildlife “continues to decline and degrade” as one in six species are at risk of extinction, according to the latest State Of Nature report.
Nearly half of its bird species are threatened while almost a third of amphibians, reptiles, fungi, lichen and a quarter of land-living mammals are at risk of vanishing, said the 203-page report released on Wednesday.
It found that 16 per cent of species, or one in six, were at risk of extinction. This includes the UK’s iconic wildlife species such as the turtle dove and hazel dormouse.
More than 10,000 species and the state of the habitats vital for their survival were assessed in the report led by the RSPB and backed by over 60 research and conservation organisations.
More than half of the flowering plant species no longer grow where they used to, with the climate crisis and intensive farming being the biggest reasons why the UK has seen an average decline of all living species of 19 per cent since monitoring began in 1970.
The UK’s wildlife has been depleted by centuries of habitat destruction, unsustainable farming practices and persecution.
This means more than half of the UK’s plant, fungal and animal life has been killed off.
The State of Nature report is a stark reminder that politicians must not let nature drop down the agenda – there is far too much at stake.
Craig Bennett, chief executive of The Wildlife Trusts
The report also found only one in seven (14 per cent) habitats considered important for wildlife, were in a good ecological condition – including just 7 per cent of woodlands. Due to habitat damage from fishing gear, none of the areas of seafloor around the UK were found to be in a good condition.
“The latest State of Nature Report marks a decade of missed opportunities to halt the spiralling decline of UK wildlife,” said professor Rick Stafford, chair of the British Ecological Society’s Policy Committee.
“While we are perhaps becoming inured to these declines, the statistic that none of the seabed around our island nations is in good condition still has the power to shock.”
“Continuous trawling of a seabed has parallels to the effect of an earthquake on a city – habitats are destroyed and species are displaced.”
“The good news is that, unlike terrestrial habitats, it is easy to fix; just leave it alone and it will recover. The bad news is that, on paper, the UK is already hitting its 30x30 targets for marine protection. Clearly this is not working.”
Only 25 per cent of peatland, also an important natural carbon sink, and 50 per cent of salt marshes, remain in good condition.
Prof Mathews said small mammals such as harvest mice and field voles are “disappearing before our eyes” because the habitat on which their survival depends is being destroyed, with knock-on effects for owls and other predators.
Lichens – which are a mix of fungi and algae and thrive in clean, wet, undisturbed forests – are growing in a psychedelic mix of patterns and colours on tree branches, but have recovered somewhat since the 1970s thanks to reductions in sulphur dioxide emitted by industry.
Nearly half of lichen species are, however, still declining because of ammonia, which mostly comes from muck-spreading, slurry and fertilisers used on farms.
Insects that pollinate and those that prey on pests such as ladybirds, ground beetles and wasps are also disappearing in certain areas – falling by 18 per cent and 34 per cent respectively.
“The sobering message is that the state of UK nature and the wider environment, based upon the indices that we’ve got, continues to decline and degrade,” said professor Richard Gregory, the RSPB’s head of monitoring conservation science.
“At the same time, we’ve never actually had such a good understanding of the state of nature in the United Kingdom and we’ve never had such a good understanding of how we might fix it.”
We know that creating bigger, better, more joined-up spaces for wildlife can bring practical results, including more ponds, wetlands and shrubby wild habitats
Tony Juniper, Natural England chairperson
Dr Francesca Mancini, of the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, warned that these losses could damage farmers financially.
“We can think that further losses in pest control species for example could lead to economic losses for farmers and also a greater reliance on chemical pesticides, which then in turn is going to have more consequences for biodiversity,” she said.
Some species, such as dragonflies, have improved thanks to rivers being cleaner than they were in the 1970s, while conservation projects from the Cairngorms to Cambridgeshire and Lyme Bay, showed restoration can and does help plants and animals to return.
“We know that creating bigger, better, more joined-up spaces for wildlife can bring practical results, including more ponds, wetlands and shrubby wild habitats,” Natural England chairperson Tony Juniper said.
“The truth is though that on its own this will not be enough, with every sector of society needing to play a role if we are to recover species abundance and reduce the risk of extinction, as the Government has legally committed to doing,” he said.
The authors of the report called on the UK government to deliver on its promise to protect at least 30 per cent of land and sea for nature, according to a landmark treaty signed last year.
“The State of Nature report is a stark reminder that politicians must not let nature drop down the agenda – there is far too much at stake,” said Craig Bennett, chief executive of The Wildlife Trusts.
“This next parliament will be the most important in my lifetime for nature and climate action. The clock is ticking towards the 2030 deadline by which point the UK Government has committed to protect at least 30 per cent of land and sea for nature and to halve the risks posed by pesticides.”
Additional reporting by PA
