Unite for Nature - #NoNatureNoFuture

Nature is in crisis, nationally and internationally. Here are some hard, scientific facts about the state of biodiversity decline and loss, and the failure of governments, including the UK, to address this.

International

• A global, intergovernmental assessment of biodiversity and ecosystems concludes that up to one million animal and plant species are now threatened with extinction, many within decades. Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) (2019)

• Of over 150,000 species of animals and plants carefully assessed for the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red Data List, 42,000 (28%) have been identified as likely to be at risk of extinction in the near future.

• A global study of wild plant species concludes that about 40% are now threatened with extinction. Natural History Museum (2020)

• Recent rates of extinction of plants and animals are running hundreds of times faster than in pre-human times and are growing. The Royal Society (2021)

• The 2022 Living Planet Report measured changes in monitored sub-populations of over 5,000 wild animal species worldwide and found that, on average, these had declined by almost 70% since 1970. (To be clear, this is not the same as saying that the total numbers of these animals has fallen by 70%, but it is a dramatic trend). WWF (2022)

• Why is this happening? The UN Conference of Parties on Biodiversity (COP15) in December 2022 identified five drivers of the biodiversity crisis, all of them caused by humans:

• changes in land use, particularly agriculture

• climate change

• pollution, including pesticides and plastics

• over-exploitation of wild species

• introduction of alien invasive species.

• 58% of all mammal biomass on earth is now livestock. Only 6% of the combined weight of mammals on Earth is wild. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) (2023)

• Scientists estimate that 3.4 million km2 of inland wetlands have been lost since 1700, mainly due to conversion to farmland. This loss equates to around 21% of the world’s wetlands, particularly in Europe, the United States and China. Nature (2023)

• In 2011, governments of the world adopted a Strategic Plan for Biodiversity, with 20 specific targets for 2020 (the Aichi Biodiversity targets), ranging from protecting coral reefs to reducing pollution. By 2020, none of these had been met or achieved at a global level. This marked a second decade of failure to meet internationally agreed biodiversity targets. New Scientist (2020); The Guardian (2020)

• The forest “carbon offsets” approved by the world’s leading certifier and used by many big brand companies are largely worthless and could make global heating worse. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) (2020); The Guardian (2023)

The UK

Set against this global ecological emergency, how is the UK doing?

This section provides some headline facts from the State of Nation Report (SON 2023) (report, blog) which was released on 27th September 2023. We shared it with groups that participated in the Restore Nature Now rally at Defra (UK Government Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) on 28 September 2023.  As we have done in previous campaigns, like the Big One in April 2023, our aim is to put scientific evidence in the hands of concerned citizens.

SON 2023 is a scientific report which analyses trends in biodiversity in the UK at roughly three-year intervals, using all available information from wildlife surveys and monitoring. Besides showing trends in biodiversity, it also describes recent government and other efforts and commitments to restore nature, their success and progress towards targets. Here we summarise UK-wide trends from SON 2023. Headline figures collated in 2022 are also available.

1: Species decline and extinction risk

Most monitoring reported in SON 2023 began in 1970. SON 2023 adds more data on more species to earlier evidence and reaffirms that there has been a dramatic and continuing decline in wild animal and plant abundance and distribution in the UK over the past 50 years.

• For 753 animal species there has been an average decline in abundance of 19%. Some groups have shown particularly steep and continuing declines: for breeding birds - 14% overall, and 58% for farmland birds - and for moths, 31% overall.

• Decline in insects has implications for agriculture: the abundance of pollinators has declined by 18% and of insect predators of crop pests by 34%

• Average distributions for flowering plant species have declined by 16%, with 54% of the species recorded showing shrinking distributions. 

• What does this mean for loss of biodiversity? Of 10,000 terrestrial plants and animals species assessed, 16% are now classified as threatened and at risk of extinction.

• Within this statistic, 21.5% of plant species assessed, and 39% of vertebrate species assessed, are now considered to be at risk of extinction in the UK.

• Historic biodiversity decline has made the UK the most nature-depleted country in the G7.

2: Restoring biodiversity in farm, woodland and marine management

SON 2023 documents that species-focused conservation actions can work, but that we do not know enough about how to scale them or to restore entire communities of animals and plants. Halting and reversing decline is just a first step towards necessary habitat and ecosystems improvement. According to SON 2023, a rapid increase in rates of both ecosystem restoration and targeted species recovery action are necessary to reverse biodiversity loss.  SON 20203 highlights three areas of targeted action – farmed land, woodlands and marine areas. Here are some highlighted issues of concern:

Farmland biodiversity restoration

• As much of our landscape is farmed, restoring biodiversity in farmed areas is a priority.

• Many agri-environmental schemes have been developed across the four nations. They need more evaluation – evidence suggests that many “lower level” schemes are ineffective.

• While schemes are increasing, they still cover only a small fraction of UK farmland. Ambitious targets have been set, but new schemes are experiencing substantial under-funding and delays.

Woodland biodiversity restoration

• More and better woodland schemes are needed. Woodland wildlife is decreasing. Only 47% of UK woodland is certified as sustainably managed.

• Native woodland is particularly important to biodiversity. Only 7% of native woodland stands in Britain are in good ecological condition, but many more could be made this way.

Marine biodiversity restoration

• Over the past 50 years, 33% of sensitive fish and shellfish species in the North Sea have declined in occurrence. These changes do not meet the UK’s own targets for good environmental status.

• Recent evidence from marine fisheries suggest that overfishing continues.

3: Reaching Protected Area targets

Protected areas include Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), which protect the UK’s most vulnerable species and habitats. But their area is tiny compared to the Government’s commitment, last year, to protect 30 percent of UK terrestrial and marine areas for nature by 2030 – “30 by 30”.

• With respect to terrestrial “30 by 30” targets, only 11% has been protected for nature so far.

• Even within protected areas, conservation is currently unsatisfactory. Only 44% of SSSIs are in favourable condition, and most have not been assessed in the past ten years.

• There is a general lack of monitoring of protected areas. For instance, only 11% of new Marine Protected Areas had full monitoring in place in 2021.

• Of 77 UK terrestrial and marine natural habitat types assessed as rare, endangered or vulnerable on a European scale, only six were found to be in favourable condition. 

4: In conclusion

The decline in nature continues. SON 2023 makes clear that, since 2019, there has been an increase in conservation legislation and in schemes and projects to restore biodiversity. Some of these initiatives are likely to be very positive in time. However, repeatedly, the message coming out of SON 2023 is that

• new initiatives are being implemented too slowly, with too little investment and at too small a scale

• the biodiversity impact of some initiatives is not certain, and too little assessment is being done

• targets are still being missed, and some, e.g. ”30 by 30”, will not be met at current rates of activity

These notes present information from SON 2023 only. The report does not pick up very recent and more political activities likely to affect restoration of nature. For instance, the passage of the revised EU Retained Law Bill this year still puts at potential risk hundreds of laws protecting the environment. Recent Government actions, such as the plan to scrap legislation that protects waterways from pollution by new development, and the postponing of “biodiversity net gain”, suggest that even existing commitments to biodiversity restoration may be short-lived.

It does not have to be like this 

If governments act URGENTLY to protect and restore ecosystems, as they have promised, nature will recover. Communities around the world are coming together to protect and restore nature. They need help and support. 

Almost 50 species have been saved from extinction through the work of dedicated conservationists, supported by local communities and governments. Some of the species which have been saved from the brink in recent years include the California Condor, the Iberian Lynx and Przewalksi’s Horse. The Guardian (2022)

But we must act quickly. Extinction is forever.

This page’s banner image represents Global Bio Stripes: https://findingnature.org.uk/ - Data: LPI 2022. Living Planet Index https://stats.livingplanetindex.org/