Wild species pay the price as purse strings tightened
PUBLIC spending on caring for nature has fallen by more than a quarter in five years, figures show.
UK species from birds to bees are continuing to struggle despite pledges to reverse declines in wildlife and habitats, according to the “biodiversity indicators” report published by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra).
Farmland and wetland birds and seabirds, as well as wild bees and hoverflies, which are important for pollination, have suffered declines over both the long and short term.
Species such as woodland birds, butterflies and other insects have struggled in the long term but have stabilised in the past five years, while important habitats and over-wintering waterbirds have seen their fortunes fall since 2009.
Efforts to care for nature have taken a downturn over the five years to 2014-15, the ‘traffic light style’ indicators suggest, with public funding declining by 26% and the amount of time spent volunteering falling by 23%.
About £452m of taxpayers’ money was spent on looking after nature in the UK in 2014-15, up 57% in real terms since 2000, but down on the previous year and from a high in 2008-09.
In 2014-15, the Government spent 0.025% of economic output (GDP) on protecting the UK’s natural environment, which the report said provides vital benefits and contributes to the economy, health and wellbeing.
The indicators, which reveal trends in how nature is faring, are published to report on progress towards meeting international goals to reduce and eventually halt declines in nature – goals to which the UK has signed up.
They reveal improvements in a number of areas, including the amount of land covered by wildlifefriendly farming schemes, more sustainable fisheries and protected areas at sea, and spending on conserving nature internationally.
Several types of pollution in the countryside and marine environment are down, but pressure from invasive species in rivers, lakes, the seas and on land has worsened.
Breeding farmland birds have declined by more than half (54%) since 1970, while woodland birds are down by a fifth, and water and wetland birds have fallen 15% since 1975.
In 2014, breeding seabird populations were 27% below 1986 levels.
Bat populations have increased by nearly a quarter (23%) since 1999, while the distribution of 213 species of wild bee and hoverfly fell 32% between 1980-2010.
A new indicator introduced last year to monitor at-risk native breeds of farm animal found that native horses were in decline over both the long and short term.
The average effective population size for horse breeds at risk decreased from 179 to 138 between 2000-15, and last year three breeds had populations of less than 50, the indicators showed.