This is not an impossible situation. Nature in the UK may be in crisis, the latest State of Nature report makes this very clear. But we have the solutions - and we know they work.
Many of the reasons for wildlife declines across the different countries of the UK are similar. Habitat loss, the way we produce food, unsustainable fishing and climate change are all playing a part. But England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland each have unique landscapes and wildlife. They also have different laws and policies which impact in nature in different ways. That’s why we’re calling on politicians in each country to commit to different actions to help nature bounce back.
England’s nature is disappearing at an alarming rate. There has been a fall of nearly a third in the abundance of wildlife since 1970 and more than half of plant species have disappeared from places they could be previously found. Fragments of our best landscapes for wildlife, such as ancient woodlands, blanket bogs and lowland heath do remain. But of the 7% protected for nature, only a third is in good condition.
We know 69% of land in England is farmed. For nature to recover, making space for nature must be at the heart of the way we produce food. This means increasing funding for farmers to produce food in a nature-friendly way, such as reducing intensive methods and chemical use.
Within the 7% of land protected for nature, just over a third is in good condition and much of it is fragmented or cut off from similar areas. These figures fall way short of the UK Government’s commitment to protect 30% of land, and sea, for nature by 2030.
If we’re going to stop nature’s decline we need to see habitat restoration on a large scale. For this to happen we need more fully trained people with the skills to carry out the work. The creation of a National Nature Service could play a vital part in this, training and funding more people to work towards increasing the numbers of our most threatened wildlife and restoring the habitats where they live.
It makes business sense. Major economic sectors, including finance, retail, and energy, all contribute to nature’s decline. We need polluters to pay up and contribute to nature’s recovery. This will increase the resources we need to protect and restore habitats, support the creation of new jobs, and generate wider investment in nature’s recovery.
The vast majority of people (90%) think access to nature is important for their health. But at the moment 38% do not have green space within a 15-minute walk of their home. This needs to change. An Environmental Rights Bill should be introduced to create a human right to a healthy environment. This would save billions for the NHS and social care and improve the health of millions.
The State of Nature report says 12% of species in Northern Ireland are threatened with extinction. Some of the hardest hit are farmland birds, where there has been a 43% fall in the abundance of 17 species since 1996. Waterbirds have also declined, with 36 wintering species seeing a 30% decline in abundance compared to 1988.
Many seabirds are also in trouble. We’ve seen a 25% decline in UK seabird numbers in the last four decades, fuelled by pressures from unsustainable development, avian flu, and climate change.
But it’s not just birds, 14% of flowering plants are now not found where they previously thrived. And more than half of mosses and liverworts have been lost from the Northern Irish countryside.
More than three quarters of Northern Ireland’s land is used for food production, but much of this is farmed in a way that doesn’t benefit wildlife. Changing this is vital to nature’s recovery. We need a new system of farm payments which makes nature-friendly farming profitable.
To make the changes we need to set nature on the road to recovery we need an ambitious Environment Strategy. It must include specific, legally binding targets setting out how we can restore our wildlife and wild places. And it must have dedicated long-term funding to put in place the teams and resources needed to make sure the targets are hit.
To stop seabird declines we need an urgent NI seabird conservation strategy setting out a clear plan of how we’re going to help numbers recover. There is no time for delay, it is vital that the strategy is put into action swiftly and has efficient government support.
This summer the scenes at Lough Neagh have horrified us all. The blue-green algae present in the lough has had an impact on wildlife including a number of swans that have been photographed lifeless at the edge of the water.
It’s clear that the protection of Lough Neagh has not been prioritised by past and present governments. Saving Lough Neagh will not only require an ‘action plan’ and ‘joined up working’ but it will also require changing the policies that have led to the pollution in the first place.
We need to see a multi-departmental emergency response plan for Lough Neagh and funding to ensure it is delivered.
Scotland is home to a huge number of species of wildlife, some found nowhere else in the UK. But the State of Nature report shows much of it is in trouble. One in nine species is now threatened with extinction, and the abundance of species has fallen by 15% since 1994. Some of the worst declines have been in much loved species such as Swifts, Greenfinch, Kestrels and Lapwing. Moisture loving lichens, a critical part of native woodlands such as Scotland’s temperate rainforests have also suffered massive declines.
Scotland’s globally important seabirds are also a big concern – declining by nearly half between 1986 and 2019. This was before the more recent devastating impacts of bird flu.
Scotland’s temperate rainforests, also known as Atlantic or Celtic rainforests, are some of the most nature rich places in the UK, but we’re losing them at an alarming rate. Now just 30,000 hectares of Scotland’s rainforest remains. We need to protect and restore these forests, before it’s too late.
Three quarters of Scotland’s land is used for farming, but less than 10% of national agriculture funding helps farmers and crofters do the right thing for nature. There’s no way we can see farmland wildlife recover without this changing. That’s why we want to make sure politicians commit to giving more funding to nature-friendly farming through the Agricultural Bill.
We can help Scottish seabirds to recover by creating a Seabird Strategy which tackles the major issues behind their decline, such as the reduction of food, being killed accidentally by fishing gear, invasive species, poorly planned offshore developments and now avian flu.
For nature to recover we need to see action on a much larger scale. Only by putting nature at the heart of decision making and putting in place legally binding targets will we stop the decline of wildlife and start its revival.
At least 68 Golden Eagles have been killed illegally in Scotland since 1891. Other species have also been poisoned, shot, or just disappeared – presumably illegally killed - on Scotland’s grouse moors. We need a Wildlife Management Bill which licenses grouse moors so that deterrents can be put in place to prevent crimes on their land, such as bird of prey killings.
Of almost 4000 species studied in Wales, 664 (18%) are threatened with extinction. Only 11% of Wales’ land is protected for nature and only a tiny fraction of this is in good condition. With the loss of suitable habitat, flowering plants, mosses and liverworts have vanished from places they were previously found.
Wales’ coastline is home to internationally important colonies of seabirds which at the moment don’t have the protection they need.
To see nature bounce back we need legally binding targets, similar to what we have for carbon emissions. These need to be embedded across government departments and across all sectors and monitored by an independent environmental watchdog. Their job would be to make sure environmental commitments and responsibilities happen, keeping the government on track to deliver the targets.
A huge 90% of land in Wales is used for agriculture. If nature is going to recover, we must reward farmers fairly for restoring and looking after our wildlife and the places it lives – and soon. The new Sustainable Farming Scheme is a great opportunity to do this, supporting farmers so they can produce food in a nature-friendly way for future generations. As well as boosting wildlife, this would also provide wider environmental benefits for society and help to tackle climate change.
Wales’ protected areas are vitally important for our threatened wildlife. We need to improve the condition of existing protected sites and create new ones, as well as finding ways to connect them, allowing wildlife to easily spread. We can do this through large scale habitat restoration, both on land and at sea, making sure we also reduce pollution and plan any new developments with nature in mind.
This is an essential step towards Wales meeting the global target to protect and effectively manage 30% of land and seas for nature by 2030 – known as “30x30”.
Wales has the world’s largest population of Manx Shearwater, and its coastline is an important breeding ground for Northern Gannets, Puffins, Razor Bills and Guillemots. While many seabirds are facing major declines in other parts of the UK, it is vitally important we protect Welsh breeding sites properly. This has become even more apparent with the current outbreak of avian flu which has hit seabirds hard and emphasises the need to protect seabird populations from other threats – the threats we can control.
A new marine development plan, seabird conservation strategy and the adoption of remote electronic monitoring on fishing vessels would help us to protect our globally important marine wildlife.
Nature can play a huge role in creating a better economy, better society and in promoting better health and wellbeing. We want to see the creation of Nature Service Wales which would provide upskilling and reskilling opportunities in nature conservation and restoration. This could lead to the creation of 7,000 jobs over the next decade which would help pave the way towards a greener Wales, with local communities at its heart.
Your voice has power. When enough of us speak up, we can persuade politicians of all parties across the UK to commit to protecting and restoring our natural world - helping us breathe clean air, drink clean water, swim in clean rivers, and hear the sound of birdsong in the morning.
But time is running out and we can’t wait any longer. Our politicians must act now.
Find out more about the vital role you can play by visiting our Nature Can’t Wait pages.
