A new report is warning that 41% of UK species studied have declined since the 1970s and that declines continue unabated.

The latest findings published in the State of Nature 2019 report show that since rigorous scientific monitoring began in the 1970s there has also been a 13% decline in average abundance across wildlife studied, 26% have increased and 33% show little change since 1970, while 133 species assessed have already been lost from UK shores since 1500.

Following the State of Nature reports in 2013 and 2016, leading professionals from more than 70 wildlife organisations have joined with government agencies for the first time, to present the clearest picture to date of the status of species across land and sea.

Butterflies and moths have been particularly hard hit with numbers of butterflies down by 17% and moths down by 25%. The numbers of species, such as the High Brown Fritillary and Grayling, that require more specialised habitats have declined by more than three quarters.

The UK’s mammals also fare badly with greater than 26% of species at risk of disappearing altogether. The Wild Cat and Greater Mouse-eared Bat are among those species teetering on the edge of disappearing.

The evidence from the last 50 years shows that significant and ongoing changes in the way land for agriculture is managed, and the ongoing effects of climate change are having the biggest impacts on nature.

Pollution is also a major issue. Despite a dramatic reduction in emissions of many pollutants in recent decades, pollution continues to have a severe impact on the UK’s sensitive habitats and freshwaters, and new pollutant threats are continuing to emerge.

Daniel Hayhow, lead author on the report, said:

“We know more about the UK’s wildlife than any other country on the planet, and what it is telling us should make us sit up and listen. We need to respond more urgently across the board if we are to put nature back where it belongs. Governments, conservation groups and individuals must continue to work together to help restore our land and sea for wildlife and people in a way that is both ambitious and inspiring for future generations”

“In this report we have drawn on the best available data on the UK’s biodiversity, produced by partnerships between conservation NGOs, research institutes, UK and national governments, and thousands of dedicated volunteers. It’s through working together that we can help nature recover but the battle must intensify.”

Whilst the data that the report shows are alarming there is also cause for some cautious hope. The report showcases a wide range of conservation initiatives – for example, species such as Bitterns and Large Blue Butterfly have been saved through the concerted efforts of organisations and individuals.

Reflecting growing concern about the environmental and climate emergencies, public support for conservation also continues to grow, with NGO expenditure up by 24% since 2010/11 and time donated by volunteers having increased by 46% since 2000. However, public sector expenditure on biodiversity in the UK, as a proportion of GDP, has fallen by 42% since a peak in 2008/09.

For a full copy of the State of Nature 2019 report and to find out how you can do your bit to save UK wildlife – www.nbn.org.uk/stateofnature2019

Beccy Speight, CEO of the RSPB said:

“Nature is still being lost across the UK at a deeply concerning rate. Many of the pressures and threats driving these declines - like nature itself – do not respect national boundaries. Whilst governments across the UK have recognised the climate and environment crises threatening our natural world - and that restoring the natural world can provide some of the solutions we need - there desperately needs to be more immediate action and cooperation on the protection of nature between the four countries. We need ambitious legislation with binding targets to not only halt nature’s decline but secure its recovery. And we need that legislation now.”

Rosie Hails, Nature and Science Director at the National Trust said the UK now needs “a strong new set of environmental laws” to hold our governments and others to account and to set long-term and ambitious targets. Only a robust approach to environmental protections and law making can deliver this for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, she added.

Nikki Williams, Director of Campaigns and Policy at The Wildlife Trusts, backed a call for new environmental measures supported by legislation, saying:

“Local action is already making a real difference and now the government needs to play its part. We need a Nature Recovery Network established in law – one that is locally developed and nationally connected – this would help join up our last remaining wild places by creating vital new habitats.”

According to Natural England Chair Tony Juniper, the report paints a stark picture of the state of some of our most-loved species. He warned:

“These losses matter as they represent an unravelling of the web of life upon which we depend. However, this report is a wake-up call. More needs to be done to achieve the ambitions of the government’s 25 Year Environment Plan to reverse nature’s decline so that our children can experience and benefit from a richer natural environment.”

Dr Gary Powney, Quantitative Ecologist at the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, which compiled the distribution trends for the State of Nature Report, said the researchers had analysed more than 60 million records relating to the geographical range of thousands of plant and animal species. Much of the wildlife data information has been recorded and shared by thousands of volunteers and amateur experts in the UK for decades.

Dr Mark Wright, Director of Science at WWF said the UK is in the midst of a nature and climate emergency and called for greater legal protections, commenting:

“Recent polls have shown the environment is a top priority for UK voters and we must work together to press the government to urgently introduce ambitious new laws to protect and restore our environment as we leave the EU. The new Environment Bill must be world-leading with bold legal targets and a strong watchdog that hold the government legally accountable for halting the loss of nature at home and overseas.”

Click here to download The State of Nature 2019