The UK, like most other countries worldwide, has experienced a
significant loss of biodiversity. The trends in nature presented
here cover, at most, 50 years, but these follow on from major
changes to the UK’s nature over previous centuries. As a result,
the UK is now one of the most nature-depleted countries on Earth. The main causes of these declines are
clear, as are many ways in which we
can reduce impacts and help struggling
species. The evidence from the last
50 years shows that on land and in
freshwater, significant and ongoing
changes in the way we manage our land
for agriculture, and the effects of climate
change, are having the biggest impacts
on our wildlife. At sea, and around our
coasts, the main pressures on nature are
unsustainable fishing, climate change and
marine development.
More broadly there has been growing
recognition of the value of nature,
including its role in tackling climate
change, and the need for its conservation
among the public and policymakers alike.
With each report our monitoring of
change improves and we have never had
a better understanding of the state of nature. Yet, despite progress in ecosystem
restoration, conserving species, and
moving towards nature-friendly land
and sea use, the UK’s nature and wider
environment continues, overall, to decline
and degrade. The UK has set ambitious
targets to address nature loss through
the Global Biodiversity Framework, and
although our knowledge of how to do
this is excellent, the size of the response
and investment remains far from what is
needed given the scale and pace of
the crisis.
Authors
- Published in
- United Kingdom