Wildlife stocktake highlights UK's most threatened species – The State of Nature Report May 2013.
An unprecedented stocktake of UK wildlife has revealed that most species are struggling and that one in three have halved in number in the past half century. It suggests 60% of animal and plant species studied have declined in the past 50 years. Beetles and wildlfowers are among the most vulnerable species.
The unique report, based on scientific analysis of tens of millions of observations from volunteers, shows that from woodland to farmland and from freshwater streams to the sea, many animals, birds, insects, fish and plants are in trouble. The report reinforces the conclusions reached in 2010: that nature is continuing to decline, the pressures on the natural world are growing, and our response to the biodiversity crisis is slowing.
The causes include the intensification of farming, with the consequent loss of meadows, hedgerows and ponds and increased pesticide use, as well as building development, overfishing and climate change.
But the report also reveals a few bright spots, such as the reduced water pollution that has allowed otters to return to every county in the UK, and the numerous new ponds created by restored gravel pits. "This ground-breaking report is a stark warning - but it is also a sign of hope," said naturalist Sir David Attenborough.
The State of Nature report was compiled by 25 conservation groups including the Wildlife Trusts, the Mammal Society, Buglife and the Marine Conservation Society.
"This report shows we can do things – it gives the conservation examples – but we need to do a huge amount more," said Dr Mark Eaton, a scientist at the RSPB and one of the lead authors of the report. "We need a root-and-branch rethink of how we integrate conservation with how we live and run our businesses." He paid tribute to the army of tens of thousands of conservation volunteers: "They have played a massive role in making this report far more comprehensive than anything done before and knowledge is the most essential tool that conservationists have."
Cities and towns are important areas because many people only experience wildlife there, according to the report. "Avoiding the loss of sports fields and gardens is very important if we want to have wildlife in our cities," said Eaton. "It is about connectivity, so bats, hedgehogs and so on can move around. If you isolate areas you will greatly impoverish urban areas."
According to the document, reasons for the decline are "many and varied" but include rising temperatures and habitat degradation.
Species requiring specific habitats have fared particularly poorly compared to the generalists able to adapt to the country's changing environment.
Turtle doves have declined by 93% since 1970
Hedgehogs have declined by around a third since the millennium
The small tortoiseshell butterfly has declined in abundance by 77% in the last ten years
Natterjack toad numbers have changed little since 1990
The early bumblebee (Bombus pratorum) and the tormentil mining bee (Andrena tarsata) have shown strong declines in range since 1970
The population size of the V-moth is estimated to be less than 1% of what it was in the 1960s
Corn cleavers has undergone one of the most dramatic declines of any plant species
Harbour seals have declined by 31% in Scottish waters since 1996
There is only a single bastard gumwood tree left in the whole world