The latest State of Nature report published by the RSPB shows that much of the wildlife in the UK and its Overseas territories is in serious trouble – in the UK 1,500 species are now at risk of being lost completely.

The State of Nature report is the most up-to-date and accurate picture available of how nature is doing in the UK and its Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It brings together information from more than 60 research and conservation organisations collected by thousands of skilled volunteers.

Wildlife at risk of extinction in Great Britain

The report’s findings show that one in six (16%) of the over ten thousand species studied in Great Britain are at risk of becoming extinct - almost 1,500 species which could disappear. In Northern Ireland, 281 species could be lost.

The figure is much higher for some types of wildlife. We could lose:

• 43% of birds
• 31% of amphibians and reptiles
• 28% of fungi and lichens
• 26% of land mammals

Fewer flowers and hoverflies

Many plants are vanishing from places where they were previously found, including more than half (54%) of flowering plants, such as Heather and Harebell.

Invertebrate species are found, on average, in 13% fewer places now than in 1970. There have been stronger declines in some insect groups with important roles, such as pollinators like bees and hoverflies.

Degraded habitats

Today, only one in seven (14%) of the UK’s important habitats for wildlife were found to be in good condition, with only 7% of woodland and only 25% of peatlands making the grade. The way we fish also means large areas of the seafloor around the UK are not in good condition.

Reasons behind nature’s decline

The report found the changes in the way we manage our land for farming, and climate change were the biggest causes of wildlife decline on our land, rivers and lakes. At sea, and around our coasts, it was as a result of unsustainable fishing, climate change and marine development.

The State of Nature report focuses on recent changes in biodiversity but the UK’s landscapes and wildlife has been shaped for thousands of years. The UK’s nature has been depleted by centuries of habitat loss, development and persecution well before data gathering began in 1970. The report shows evidence that the UK now has less than half of its biodiversity remaining because of human activity.

Reasons for hope

The report shows some things are improving - there are now more sustainably managed woodlands (44%), and sustainably harvested fish stocks (50%) than there were 20 years ago.

The support for nature-friendly farming has also increased, as has the number of farmland schemes which are designed to benefit the environment. But at the moment the best available information suggests that nature-friendly farming needs to take place at a much wider scale to halt the decline in farmland wildlife.

The report also includes examples of how wildlife conservation projects can make a huge difference, such as the creation of the Marine Protected Area in Lyme Bay, southern England. Here many species have increased since trawling was banned in 2008. Ongoing restoration projects, such as for peatland and seagrass beds, are helping to stem declines while also helping mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change.

Click here to download the State of Nature report in full