State of Nature 2019: UK's wildlife loss continues unabated
State of Nature report 2019: loss of nature since 1970
- 15 per cent of species under threat of extinction and 2 per cent of species have already gone for good
- Average abundance of wildlife has fallen by 13 per cent with the steepest losses in the last ten years
- 41 per cent of UK species studied have fallen and 133 species have already been lost from our shores
- Butterflies and moths, down 17 per cent and 25 per cent respectively. Numbers of high brown fritillary and grayling butterflies, have fallen by more than three quarters
- The average amount of mammals has fallen by 26 per cent and the wild cat and greater mouse-eared bat are almost extinct
Wildlife returns to Marsden Moor a year after after devastating fire
The precious peatland habitats at Marsden Moor in West Yorkshire are showing some positive signs of recovery, according to our rangers. Short-eared owls, curlews, skylarks and mountain hares have been spotted in the area a year after the blaze, which broke out on 21 April 2019. This follows a huge conservation effort carried out by our rangers and volunteers, as well as an appeal that received donations totalling £100,000 from National Trust supporters.
Work has included planting tens of thousands of individual sphagnum moss plugs and building leaky dams. These measures help to ‘rewet’ the moor by holding water while allowing carbon to be absorbed by the peat soils, which are a vital defence against climate change.
But a recent spell of dry weather coupled with a lack of resources in a time of national crisis means there’s a risk of further fires. We’re urging the public to act responsibly during this time.