The latest State of Nature report, published September 2023, has revealed the UK is becoming an ever-more hostile place for wildlife, with nearly 1 in 6 species now at risk of extinction.
The reasons for these catastrophic declines are clear: changes to land use for farming, climate change, unsustainable fishing and marine development.
- 38% reduction of species populations
- Abundance of terrestrial and freshwater species have fallen by 19%
- 16% of species are threatened with extinction from Great Britain
- 151 of 10,008 species have already become extinct
- 54% decrease in flowering plant species distributions
- 13% decrease in distributions on invertebrates
- 18% decrease in pollinator species
- 34% decrease in pest control species
The latest report is in line with its previous iterations published in 2013, 2016 and 2019, which have all shown a pattern of drastic declines.
How you can help
Conservation is crucial to save our nature, but it needs to go hand-in-hand with practical action from the government to halt and reverse destructive practices that have led to this biodiversity loss in the first place.
You can play a huge part by demanding action for nature from leaders. You can also take steps to manage your own garden for wildlife, and join us with campaigns and management of our wildlife-friendly habitats across the town.
Download the full State of Nature report and read Friends of the Earth’s Paul De Sylva’s excellent summary.