UK nature is in trouble – that is the conclusion of a groundbreaking report published today by a coalition of leading conservation and research organisations.
Scientists working side-by-side from 25 wildlife organisations have compiled a stock take of our native species – the first of its kind in the UK. The report reveals that 60% of the species studied have declined over recent decades. More than one in ten of all the species assessed are under threat of disappearing from our shores altogether.
Erin McDaid, Communications Manager for Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust said: “Whilst our wildlife is clearly in trouble and needs help there are still things to be positive about and which can give us hope for the future. A great example is the return of the otter.
“After an absence of many decades we now have otters back at our Attenborough nature reserve and evidence of otters can be found on other wetland sites in the county. There are even glimmers of hope for threatened species such as the water vole which still have strongholds in Nottinghamshire such as along the River Idle.”
RSPB Beckingham Marshes is another success story in the making, a partnership project recreating 90 hectares of wet grassland on former arable land near the River Trent. This now rare habitat in Nottinghamshire is home to lapwings, water voles, smooth newts and dragonflies.
The incredibly special site lies within an area known as Trent Vale where the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust and the Canal and Rivers Trust work with other partners, including Natural England, Environment Agency, RSPB and local communities.
Carl Cornish, spokesperson for the RSPB says: “It’s a uplifting feeling for me to walk through the entrance gate at Beckingham Marshes and step back in time to a lost landscape. The reserve has put back the a habitat that was once a common feature of the Trent Valley landscape – grazing cattle, singing skylarks, tumbling lapwings, dashing hares, the flash of a dragonfly – magical.”
The State of Nature report will be launched by Sir David Attenborough and UK conservation charities at the Natural History Museum in London this evening (Wednesday, May 22), while simultaneous events will be held in Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast.
Sir David Attenborough said: “This groundbreaking report shows that our species are in trouble, with many declining at a worrying rate. However, we have in this country a network of passionate conservation groups supported by millions of people who love wildlife. The experts have come together today to highlight the amazing nature we have around us and to ensure that it remains here for generations to come.”
Dr Mark Eaton, a lead author on the report, said: “This report reveals that the UK’s nature is in trouble - overall we are losing wildlife at an alarming rate.
“These declines are happening across all countries and UK Overseas Territories, habitats and species groups, although it is probably greatest amongst insects, such as our moths, butterflies and beetles. Other once common species like the lesser spotted woodpecker, barbastelle bat and hedgehog are vanishing before our eyes.
“Reliable data on these species goes back just fifty years, at most, but we know that there has been a historical pattern of loss in the UK going back even further. Threats including sweeping habitat loss, changes to the way we manage our countryside, and the more recent impact of climate change, have had a major impact on our wildlife, and they are not going away.
“None of this work would have been possible without the army of volunteer wildlife enthusiasts who spend their spare time surveying species and recording their findings. Our knowledge of nature in the UK would be significantly poorer without these unsung heroes. And that knowledge is the most essential tool that conservationists have.”