This was the stark headline from the State of Nature report for 2023. Sobering to think that the once biodiverse, nature-filled islands that make up the UK are now one of the worst for nature on the planet!
The data speaks for itself with the UK Priority Species Indicator (part of the official UK Biodiversity Indicators) showing that by 2021 the index of 228 priority species had declined to 37% from its 1970 baseline value of 100%. That’s a 63% decrease!
Since the year 1500, 146 species are known and 52 are considered likely to have become extinct. This is because we humans have been shaping and depleting our landscapes and wildlife over centuries through habitat loss, development, and persecution. So the decline started well before data gathering began in 1970.
One in six UK species is at risk of extinction!
Today, 1,497 (16.1%) individual species are classified as threatened and therefore at risk of extinction from Great Britain. That figure means we could lose 43% of birds, 31% of amphibians and reptiles, and 26% of land mammals. Our future ability to see Turtle Doves, European Eels, and Water Voles is likely to become increasingly rare or nonexistent in the UK.
It’s not just the fauna, the flora is also being badly affected with 54% of flowering plants like Heather vanishing from where they were previously found which is probably coupled with a decline in pollinators that were found in 13% fewer places since 1970.
It’s not all doom and gloom; some things are improving but there’s a long way to go!
We have 44% more sustainably managed woodlands and 50% sustainably harvested fish stocks. Support for nature-friendly farming has increased, but its implementation needs to be quicker and at scale to halt the decline in farmland wildlife. Marine conservation projects have made a huge difference by banning trawling. Restoration projects for peatland and seagrass beds are helping to mitigate the impact of climate change.
Time is running out if we’re going to see nature recover in the UK, but we can all play a part in helping nature’s recovery by getting involved with community volunteering, conservation and collaborating with organisations to increase the pressure for more nature-friendly laws and policies enabling better management of our beautiful land and seas.
Now we know the problems, we need to get on to fix them.
If you’d like to read the full 108-page report, you can download it here.
Join our team – Help stop biodiversity loss within Ealing!
Ealing Wildlife Group is a community of wildlife enthusiasts protecting, encouraging and celebrating nature through education, collaboration and conservation.
If you can offer up to three hours a week of voluntary time to support our many and varied conservation projects in Ealing, we’d love to hear from you.
We need skills in marketing and social media, coordinating volunteers and local organisation liaison, and organising our events like the photo exhibition, so it’s not just about getting your hands dirty.
Email hello@ealingwildlifegroup.com with some background on the skills you can offer, particularly around those roles in bold above, as we’d love you to get involved.
