Western Daily Press (Saturday)
UK declines in wildlife show no sign of slowing
WILDLIFE in the UK continues to decline, with around one in six species at risk of extinction, according to the latest State Of Nature report.
Nearly half of bird species are threatened while almost a third of amphibians, reptiles, fungi and lichen and a quarter of land-living mammals are at risk of vanishing.
More than half of flowering plant species no longer grow where they used to, with climate change and intensive farming cited as the biggest reasons why the UK has seen an average decline of all living species of 19% since monitoring began in 1970.
Even before then, UK wildlife had been depleted by centuries of habitat destruction, unsustainable farming practices and persecution, according to the report authors.
It means more than half of the UK’s plant, fungal and animal life has been killed off.
Professor Richard Gregory, the RSPB’s head of monitoring conservation science, said: “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.
“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.”
The Wildlife Trusts has identified what it believes are five priorities ahead of the next general election, calling on politicians to bring back the UK’s lost wildlife, end river pollution and water scarcity, fund wildlife-friendly farming, enable healthy communities and tackle the climate emergency by protecting and restoring natural habitats.
Peter Burgess, Devon Wildlife Trust’s Director of Wildlife Recovery, said: “Devon is famous for its moorlands, rocky coastlines, rivers, Culm grasslands and ancient woodlands. These wonderful places and their wildlife are under threat from pollution, habitat loss and our changing climate. In recent years we’ve lost species such as the ring ouzel and the nightingale, while freshwater pearl mussel, white-clawed crayfish and six-banded nomad bee are close to extinction locally. Many other once common creatures including frogs, hedgehogs and cuckoos are all now in steep decline.
“We desperately need wilder and more natural areas to help wildlife recover, enable nature to adapt to climate change and create healthier, happier, and more prosperous communities. Nature recovery is the answer to so many social challenges and it’s up to our elected representatives to ensure that is reflected in policies ahead of the next election.”
Led by the RSPB and backed by over 60 research and conservation organisations, the State Of Nature report relied on thousands of volunteers recording sightings of various species across the UK, its crown dependencies and overseas territories.
They assessed more than 10,000 species as well as the state of the habitats vital for their survival, which require “very strong action to restore them to where they need to be”, Professor Fiona Mathews of the University of Sussex said.
Only 7% of broadleaved woodland was found to be in good condition, with an increase of 7,000 hectares considered to be needed every year, while only 25% of peatland, also an important natural carbon sink, and 50% 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, growing in a mix of patterns and colours on tree branches, have recovered somewhat since the 1970s thanks to reductions in sulphur dioxide from industry. Nearly half of lichen species are still declining, however, because of ammonia, which mostly comes from muck-spreading, slurry and fertilisers used on farms, the report says.
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% and 34% respectively. Dr Francesca Mancini, of the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, warned that these losses could damage farmers financially. She said: “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.”
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, show that restoration can and does help plants and animals to return, rhe report authors said.
Natural England chairman Tony Juniper said: “We know that creating bigger, better, more joined-up spaces for wildlife can bring practical results, including more ponds, wetlands and shrubby wild habitats.
“At Natural England we are active on all of this through our work to deliver the Nature Recovery Network that is at the centre of national plans, while also improving the prospects of our threatened species through our Species Recovery Programme.
“The truth
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.”
Craig Bennett, chief executive of the Wildlife Trusts, added: “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. We desperately need better policies that fund naturefriendly farming properly, end the poisoning of lakes and rivers, and create larger wild and more natural areas – including in towns and cities.
“The clock is ticking towards the 2030 deadline by which point the UK Government has committed to protect at least 30% of land and sea for nature and to halve the risks posed by pesticides. Nature recovery is fundamental to tackling climate change and improving people’s lives.”