1,200 of UK’s native species face extinction
MORE than half of British wildlife species are suffering from major decline – and 1,200 are even at risk of extinction, a report warned yesterday. The damning review showed how that, since 1970, 56 per cent of nearly 4,000 studied species have either fallen in number or the areas in which they are found.
And there is little evidence to suggest the rate of loss of animals and plants is slowing down. The biggest killer of wild creatures and plant has been intensive farming, the report said, which has had an ‘overwhelmingly negative’ impact on nature.
Other factors devastating British wildlife include urban sprawl, loss of allotments and gardens, and drainage of ponds and ditches.
The assessment of 8,000 land and freshwater species between 1970
‘Overwhelmingly negative impact’
and 2013 showed that 1,199 species are now at risk of disappearing from Britain.
More intensive agriculture, including changes to sowing patterns and increased use of pesticides and fertilisers, has affected nearly half of the species studied and is responsible for nearly a quarter of the total impact on wildlife.
The report – put together by 53 charities and led by the RSPB – found that farmland birds have declined by 54 per cent since 1970 and butterflies by 41 per cent since 1976.
Government policies have led to dramatic changes in farming practices, almost doubling wheat and milk yields since the 1970s
But while production has increased, this has often been at the expense of nature, by disrupting the food sources and habitats species rely on, the authors said. The report comes as the debate over the future of subsidies for farming after Brexit intensifies, with calls for future payments to focus on protecting wildlife in the countryside. The research also warned that climate change is also increasingly affecting UK nature.
However, impacts are mixed, with some species surviving better in warmer winters, but others hit by a loss of coastal habitat, higher sea temperatures and wilder weather. But a spokesman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said Britain’s natural environment is ‘cleaner and healthier than at any time since the Industrial Revolution’.
She added: ‘ Protecting our precious environment and supporting our world-leading farmers, a cornerstone of our economy, will form an important part of our EU exit negotiations. We will work to deliver the best possible outcome for the British people.’