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This week, a coalition of 25 organisations which campaign and research on wildlife in the UK have launched a landmark report – The State of Nature. This is the first time that the UK’s wildlife advocates have collaborated to produce such a comprehensive overview of the current status of native species, and it represents a significant achievement in biological monitoring.
The headlines from the report aren’t encouraging. 60% of the 3000-plus species studied have declined over the last 50 years, with 31% showing a strong decline. There have been some alarming recent drastic declines, including some well-known species; numbers of Hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) have fallen by around a third since 2000, for instance.
Of particular concern is the fate of a selection of species from the UK Biodiversity Action Plan, which have been a priority for active conservation efforts since at least the 1990s. The abundance of these 155 species, most of which are birds or lepidopterans, have been aggregated into a “Watchlist” which indicates the population trends of these priority species.
As the graph makes clear, the general trend is a steady fall – despite some welcome gains shown by certain species such as Bittern (Botaurus stellaris), the overall pattern is a 77% decline in these 155 species over the last four decades. Of course, most would have been in trouble before this period (that’s why they were chosen as conservation priorities!), but it’s chastening to realise that despite 40 years of conservation efforts, these species have continued to struggle.
Overall, this impressive report paints a sobering picture of biodiversity in decline, but it also highlights how little we actually know. There was sufficient data on 3,148 species to allow them to be included in the report, but this is only 5% of the estimated 59,000+ species in the UK, with some groups (such as invertebrates) particularly underrepresented. This strikes me as a remarkable statistic. The UK is densely-populated and relatively small, and has a long natural history tradition and an enviable network of both amateur and professional recording – and yet we have a good understanding of such a small fraction of our biota. The data deficit in larger, less studied and more biodiverse regions such as the tropics must be larger still.
So, we can’t really say how 95% of UK wildlife is faring, and that worries me as much as anything. It seems to me that if we don’t know enough about a species to evaluate its conservation prospects, it’s unlikely to be quietly doing well. One of the findings of the State of Nature report is the fact that adaptable generalists are doing better that species with more specific requirements – and little-studied and under-appreciated species are unlikely to be adaptable generalists. It’s not at all surprising that adaptable species are at an advantage. Dramatic environmental changes (including climate change) are the harbingers of the Eremozoic, and so adaptability to change will be a crucial factor in ecosystems.
Despite the limited data available, this important report is the best overview yet of the fortunes of UK biodiversity…..and it’s not looking good. So, have UK conservationists lost the battle? David Attenborough‘s introduction to the report smartly navigates the terrain between crisis and optimism, presenting it as a “stark warning” whilst taking “hope and inspiration” from the conservation efforts it highlights. I wonder which message will predominate in reaction to the publicity gained by the report.
I choose to see The State of Nature as a call to arms rather than an inventory of defeat. The biodiversity crisis is incredibly daunting, in the UK as elsewhere, but for me this report itself is a weapon in the fight against the crisis. Knowing more about what’s at risk is an essential first step in trying to change things, and I hope the report will help to inspire people to appreciate what may be lost, and thus consider what might be done.
As a personal example, I’ll highlight the plight of poor, unloved Corn Cleavers (Galium tricornutum), which the report cites as an example of one of the most dramatic plant declines. It was formerly widespread as an arable weed, but is now found at a single site in southern England, and classed as Critically Endangered. For some reason I was particularly struck by the plight of this unglamorous, obscure plant, forced to the edge of extinction by agricultural intensification, and which looks very similar to its extremely abundant relative Cleavers (Galium aparine). I’ll probably never get a chance to try and tell the two species apart, but I’m now engaged by the story of Corn Cleavers and will be watching its progress with interest. There’s one more person now who would notice, and mourn, if it were to go extinct, and that’s a tiny spark of hope. Perhaps conservation efforts need to start by capturing the imagination.
INTO THE EREMOZOIC 
Yes, imagination is a crucial ingredient. In general, people consider global warming (pro or con) without also grasping its convergence with loss of habitat, pollution, increase in invasive species, and other environmental changes as well. And people must also exercise imagination in trying to grasp the significance of the limited knowledge we do have in relation to the full statistics that we can’t know as easily–a gap that you explain very clearly. My knowledge on this topic is only general, but on my blog I recently compared it to the five earlier mass extinctions. Putting the current crisis in the context of earlier turning points for life on the planet is, I think, one way to fire up the imagination. Thanks again for your analysis.
After almost eight years in Australia I’m missing the song of the Yorkshire hedgerows; the Larks in particular, the little Jenny Wrens weaving in and out of my field of vision, the low rumbling buzz of the bees (which I’ve been told are also in decline) amongst the brambles. I miss Cowslip, Bluebell woods in Spring, acres of yellow oil flowers sewn into the patchwork of the farming landscape, the brilliant reds of Poppies and the Robins hopping around for crumbs in the winter snow. I like to think the reality matches my nostalgia, but it would seem that if I leave it too long to go back for another ‘last look’ it won’t be there to see anymore? If I’ve learnt anything by emigrating it’s that you only really miss (or notice) something when it’s gone.
it is a dismal state of affairs and worse is, like you said, we wont even know if they go extinct. thanks for sharing and congratulations on being freshly pressed.
You are right! All of the things you mention are lovely and I really appreciate them too. But, this year has been so cold and wet, sunny days are very rare and our Summer has not started yet. So, enjoy the good things in Australia. I am considering spending the rest of my life in a warmer climate.
@es, imagination is a crucial ingredient. In general, people consider global warming (pro or con) without also grasping its convergence with loss of habitat, pollution, increase in invasive species, and other environmental changes as well….>>Exactly & well said! Oddly & sadly enough though? There are people who still don’t even believe or realize the impact of global warming..Is there really bliss in the state of ignorance or not being aware? I think not…Btw, excellent blog topic. 2 thumbs UP
I think you’re right – imagination is key. And it’s not just an issue for those who live in the countryside – I think all of us – in towns and cities too – need to be educated. I think most people probably know more about the lives of the big cats or elephants than what lives within 5 miles of their own homes..
Reblogged this on photomehr and commented:
http://www.mywindows.ir/
great
That’s a really good observation that, without having the complete data or knowledge, it is impossible to determine how to go about conserving these environments. We can’t fix what we don’t know! This was a really well constructed article, with interesting analysis. Thank you for sharing.
Cheers!
Courtney Hosny
thank you for the post 😀
Very thought provoking post. I, like each reader has a different perspective, but I think the underlying message is that we need to imagine because none of us can really comprehend the whole picture. Hell we don’t even know how many species there are in the world. Given our current understanding the reality is that there is little chance of us identifying what the real state of the local ecology is let alone The Environment. At best we are guessing. In fact even if we had 3,000 years of good consistent data, say if the Chinese collected environmental data since the early days of their culture, then we would still have an infinitely small sample of data with which to work with for determining the real state of the current times.
The question is: Is it really possible to remove the effects of a species from the Environment? Is it logical to want to? If Natural Selection is the driver of evolution then change is the energy which Natural Selection operates on.
I would like to thank you for your post. I have never thought of biodiversity,until I took a course on Environmental Science. It is nearly impossible to calculate the biodiversity lose, but here’s one thing that everybody should realize,at this era we are losing more species and plants than ever. Some would say why biodiversity is important. it is important because just like the domino theory, one thing falls and the others follow. There are solutions to reduce the biodiversity lose,and is that by reducing logging, drilling, fracking,stop dumping plastic in the ocean.
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Around New England, we are seeing wild turkeys moving into the suburbs and coyotes increasing, too. A study of biodiversity is a good idea here, too.
I think this shows more about the state of play in the UK as a whole. We are such a small place and land is at a premium. For instance up near Middlesbrough were I went to the hospital the other day is the largest housing estate being built. It streaches miles in any direction.
Now once that would have been grass land, supporting roosting birds, hedgehogs and other species. We cant complain about the decline in species when we can go in with a pen and decimate thousands of square miles a year for housing projects. Their habbitats despite conservation is getting smaller and smaller. We expect them to remain in the small patches we leave them.
Unfortunately that doesn’t happen, and then we get residents complaining they have deer, hedgehogs, mice and birds roosting in their gardens. We all need to take some responsibility, I read somewhere recently about a bacteria in dog poo that kills hedgehogs I think it was. Flies land on the dog poo, the hedgehogs eat the flies and they die. Yet we happily let our dogs off the leads in fields, where most lets be honest dont pick up their droppings and we wonder why animals are dying.
Are they using ArcGIS to map out where the decline in biodiversity of species are?
I don’t think so – the report is essentially a aggregation of monitoring records from a wide variety of sources, with no overall maping as far as I know.
If they use ArcGIS then they could take a close look at the ecological system to see what changes may have took place.
This shows the importance we have as a human race to make responsible calculated decisions. Too often everything gets overlooked or set aside in pursuit of larger profit margins and the bottom line, greed trumps responsibility.
I find that biodiversity is one of those topics that most people haven’t yet wrapped their head around. Despite remembering the “food web” diagram from science class, most of us have grown farther and farther away from remembering that we are actually connected to that web in a countless number of ways. Maybe by pointing out even a few of the vast number of interconnections we have with natural systems we can raise the level of appreciation, awareness or tap into more people’s imagination.
I’m hoping that the honey bee crisis is beginning to illuminate the importance of biodiversity and our reliance on these complex ecosystems. Great post.
Reblogged this on 100 Uses for Muesli.
Just echoing the comments made by screamin sheman.
Thanks for the summary.
Thanks you have speared me on to be more open to biodiversity issues.
I was pondering just the other day
that I hadn’t seen a hedgehog lately.
PS Typo alert:
“… watching
it’sits progress with interest…”Yes, unfortunately hedgehogs are on the decline in many areas.
PS. Thanks, typo corrected!