The State of Nature Report

The recently published “State of Nature” report has attracted a great deal of press interest thanks to the sheer enormity of its scope. A collaboration between twenty five conservation charities from across Britain, the report looks at a range of different habitats from cities to forests, documenting a variety of case studies which ultimately tells quite a sorry story for many species.

In relation to the uplands, the report mentions that out of 877 species associated with the British uplands, 65% have decreased to some extent during the past fifty years, and 35% are described as having decreased “strongly”.  Fourteen upland species have become extinct altogether in the U.K., and a number of plants and insects are gravely threatened.

The report links these declines to largely to intensive grazing and burning, as well as commercial afforestation and habitat fragmentation. There are some positive outcomes, such as a successful initiative to conserve the Twite on upland farms, but the predominantly downward trend is clear to see.

As with all conservation issues, there are some elements of controversy to the report. Rather than accept the impressive array of statistics and case studies as the definitive “last word” on modern British conservation, the report serves an even more important purpose by generating discussion and helping people to look ahead to the future of Britain’s countryside.

Click here to download a copy of the State of Nature Report