Abundance of species in Scotland down a quarter

NATURE: Report also finds 11% of country’s wildlife threatened with extinction

Wildlife in Scotland has declined by nearly a quarter in the five decades since monitoring began, according to a new report.

The latest State of Nature report, dubbed the most comprehensive ever produced, showed a 24% decline in average species abundance across monitored wildlife.

It also revealed that since recording began, 49% of Scottish species have decreased while 28% have increased and, of the 6,413 species found in Scotland, around 11% have been classified as threatened with extinction.

Paul Walton, lead author on the Scotland report, said: “This report draws on the best available data on Scotland’s biodiversity, produced by partnerships between conservation NGOS, research institutes, government and agencies, and thousands of dedicated volunteers.

“The output confirms that, averaged across species, the erosion and loss of nature in Scotland continues.

“But it also highlights how much we still have to lose, and some of the incredible work that is already under way to hold on to it.

“Scotland is uniquely placed to set a global example in responding to the twin climate and ecological crises.

“We must invest our ingenuity to integrate policies, to devise complementary solutions, to co-operate across sectors and tackle these twin global crises simultaneously.

“We must, critically see a step change in how we resource the conservation of all our biodiversity and develop naturebased approaches to climate change.

“If we do so, we can lead the way towards the transformative change that nature demands.”

Moths have seen a decrease of 25% in abundance, while butterflies have shown a slight increase in average abundance of 9%. Of nine mammal species assessed since 1998, their abundance has also declined by 9%.

The monitoring period for seabirds is shorter but the average numbers of 12 species of breeding seabirds have declined by 38% while surface-feeding birds such as kittiwake or species that depend on them to find prey, such as Arctic skua, have seen major declines of 72% and 77%.

Across the UK, the report shows more than two-fifths of UK species including animals, birds and butterflies have seen significant declines.

It states more intensive agriculture is driving declines in farmland nature, while climate change is also having an increasing effect, with average UK temperatures rising 1C since the 1980s.

Pollution continues to cause problems for natural areas such as streams, despite legislation to curb pollutants, according to the report, which is a collaboration of more than 70 wildlife organisations with government agencies.

Daniel Hayhow, lead author on the report, said: “We know more about the UK’S wildlife than any other country on the planet, and what it is telling us should make us sit up and listen. We need to respond more urgently across the board if we are to put nature back where it belongs.”

Carved out by receding glaciers during the last Ice Age, Scotland’s mountains and glens are renowned for their beauty and draw tourists from far and wide. But the country’s natural beauty is very far from its only attraction.

The diverse wildlife that inhabits Scotland’s wild lands and islands, call its hedgerows and fields home and which nests down in to the rugged cliffs that line our coastline, is every bit as majestic.

But, just as our most popular mountains are in danger from man-made issues such as excessive footfall and littering, that wildlife is also under threat.

The latest State of Nature report estimates that more than one in 10 of Scotland’s near 6,500 native species is currently under threat of extinction.

A quarter of all the wildlife species monitored for the study are in decline and almost half of individual species has seen a decline in numbers since records started to be kept half a century ago.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has declared a climate crisis and proposals have been set out to tackle the issue.

The new report suggests there is also an ecological crisis running alongside which is every bit as worthy of attention.

Scotland is a special place and its wildlife is a major part of what makes it so. Society must be alive to any threat to it.

If new protections are needed to halt decline, it is Holyrood’s job to consider action.

Gannets on the Bass Rock in the Firth of Forth. Average numbers of 12 species of breeding seabirds have declined by 38%, the report found.

The State of Nature report details a 77% fall in Arctic skua numbers.