UK wildlife continues long-term decline in diversity and abundance

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Britain, already one of the world’s most resource-poor countries, is experiencing long-term declines in its wildlife, according to the most comprehensive assessment of Britain’s biodiversity.

this nature reportCompiled by 60 conservation agencies in the public and charity sectors and based on years of monitoring by thousands of volunteers, it found that 16% of the 10,000 plant and animal species surveyed in the UK were threatened with extinction. The numbers are much higher for birds (43%) and reptiles and amphibians (31%).

The study estimates that the richness (i.e., the number of individuals living in the wild) of the species studied has declined by an average of 19% since 1970. But flora and fauna have been severely depleted by human activity over the past few centuries, so “reports say less than half of Britain’s biodiversity now remains.

“The UK studies wildlife better than any other country in the world, and the data tells us a message that should make us listen,” said Bessie Speight, chief executive of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, which coordinated the report. “It’s clear that not enough progress has been made in protecting our species and habitats, but we know we urgently need to restore nature to tackle the climate crisis and build resilience.”

The authors describe a number of actions that can help restore biodiversity and meet the government’s goal of halting biodiversity loss by 2030. It is estimated that 70% of the UK’s land area is agricultural land, so the largest single contribution will be “wider in scope,” the report said. Farmland birds, which have declined by 58% in 50 years, are particularly in need of help.

The RSPB’s Richard Gregory said there was one more thing that “would have a huge impact” and that was “ensuring that the 11% of legally protected land in the UK are actually protected”.

“We have large areas of land, such as national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty, that are not truly protected due to substandard management,” he said.

The report does identify some conservation highlights. “Lichens are a more positive story that gives us some hope that we can reverse the decline of biodiversity through positive action,” said co-author Francesca Mancini of the Center for Ecology and Hydrology. “Lichens across the UK were severely affected by historical levels of industrial pollution, but some reductions in sulfur dioxide levels since then have allowed some of these species to recover.”

Another co-author, Fiona Mathews, professor of environmental biology at the University of Sussex, sees Lyme Bay in Dorset as a striking example of offshore conservation.

“When it was first proposed that trawl fishing should be banned, there was already huge controversy in the local fishery,” she said. “What has happened is almost miraculous. There are now four times as many fish species inside the reserve as there are outside the reserve, and there has been a similar increase in species diversity.”