This isn’t just about wildlife – it’s about our future on this planet.
The numbers of wildlife being lost is staggering – in just 50 years the UK has lost more than half! Once abundant creatures like hedgehogs have gone from 50 million to less than 1 million and are now considered ‘vulnerable to extinction’. Insects – flies, bees, beetles, etc – have severely declined in England, where 65% fewer have been recorded. The Natural History Museum reported in May 2022 that UK’s flying insects have declined by 60% in the last 20 years.
Many of our bird species depend on insects as their food source, creating ‘trophic cascades’ of decline along the food chain. According to a 2021 study from the RSPB, records show the loss of 600 million breeding birds over 40 years. RSPB also confirm that Avian Flu (H5N1) is killing rare and wild birds across the UK and has been found in UK farmed poultry. Bird Flu originated in intensively farmed poultry in Asia in 1996.
Why is this happening? Human activity. Habitat loss through deforestation and development, hunting / fishing, pollution and climate change are the main causes globally.
The 5 major threats to UK wildlife:
Agricultural intensification
Changes in farming practices have had a devastating effect – around 70% of the UK is farmland, so what happens there will affect wildlife in all habitats. Hedgerows are vital habitat yet since the 1950s nearly 120,000 miles of hedgerow have been dug out. Soil health has deteriorated. Intensive farming has result-ed in the loss of flower meadows and trees – all vital habitats for pollinating insects such as bees, with knock-on effects for species further up the food chain.
New land management techniques are being devised but the effects of monoculture farming, conversion of meadows, loss of flower-rich grasslands, heathland and peat bogs, woodland, and hedgerows has driven the decline. Pollution from pesticides, fertiliser run-off, nitrogen and even light, add to habitat fragmentation, plus land use change and nutrient dilution.
Plastics
By 2050 there could be more plastic in the ocean than fish. Plastics are choking our rivers and seas and killing our precious wildlife. Seabirds are found with their stomachs full of plastic items, while microplastics are consumed by animals such as plankton, passing the problem back up the food chain.
Climate change
Climate and nature are intertwined – oceans and ‘green’ areas are the Earth’s carbon sinks. Deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions from human activity are reducing nature’s resilience and creating feedback loops: changing weather patterns, longer periods of drought, warmer summers, or more flooding, are having an increasing knock-on effect on our wildlife. Shifts in seasons seriously impact the survival chances of migratory birds. Plants are flowering earlier, out of sync with insect pollinator life cycles. The climate crisis is deepening at a speed to which wildlife cannot adapt, increasing their decline.
River damage
Our rivers are a vital source of fresh water for people, industry, farming and wildlife yet the State of Our Rivers report 2024 shows “no single stretch of river in England is in good overall health”!
Pesticides
Neonicotinoids are lethal to insects – just a teaspoon can kill 1.25 billion bees! Banned in the UK but allowed under special licence. Forever Chemicals (PFAS) permanently pollute soil and water supplies yet are found in many pesticides and consumer items in general use. Toxic chemicals can pass up the food chain, harming predators like hedgehogs and birds. Many find their way into human food chains.
How does nature degradation affect our future?
Ecosystem imbalance. When animals and plants decline, including pollinators, it can trigger breakdown of entire ecosystems, impacting food supply chains, economic activity and speeding up climate break-down.
Poorer health. Less access to clean water, pollution and spread of disease through deforestation and a warming climate, creating survival challenges for all species, including humans.
Please help to reverse biodiversity loss – increase conservation action; reduce consumption and green-house gas emissions. Let’s ensure a Happy Green New Year both in 2025 and the future.
For more information, find us on Facebook: Dukeries Eco Watch.
Pauline Meechan
Dukeries Eco Watch