THIS week, a coalition of passionate conservation groups – including The Wildlife Trusts, RSPB, British Trust for Ornithology and Butterfly Conservation – issued a unique report spelling out the precarious state of much of our cherished wildlife.
The State of Nature report, compiled by scientists from 25 wildlife organisations, was launched by Sir David Attenborough at the Natural History Museum in London on Wednesday.
This groundbreaking report reveals 60 per cent of the species studied have declined in recent decades – and one in ten is under threat of extinction in the UK.
Once common creatures such as the hedgehog and water vole have undergone almost catastrophic population declines whilst vast swathes of habitat have disappeared – threatening the future of worrying numbers of species.
Whilst painting a generally negative picture, the report also contains glimmers of hope – underlining the fact that with concerted effort and investment we can make a difference.
Otters have now returned to rivers in all English counties – including Notts – and once-rare birds such as the bittern, now regularly seen at Attenborough Nature Reserve, have undergone a dramatic recovery.
Here in Notts we are, to some extent, bucking one or two of the national trends – with, for example, some of our water vole populations still doing well – but we mustn't be complacent.
The State of Nature report also demonstrates the huge importance of the many thousands of wildlife experts, most of whom work in a voluntary capacity, who record and monitor wildlife right across the UK.
Here in Notts they are the lifeblood of wildlife conservation and the diversity and sheer number of naturalists involved in wildlife recording is staggering.
Accurate records are the starting point for all good conservation work and by pooling their knowledge we can build up a better picture of the state of our environment.
I hope that this report will act as a rallying cry to galvanise those who care about wildlife to do more to protect it. We can all do more, whether through supporting the work of conservation charities; volunteering to help manage nature reserves or by improving our gardens for wildlife.
I also hope that it reminds key decision-makers in local and national government and in business that they too have a responsibility to help us turn back the clock.
Wildlife conservation can no longer focus upon trying to protect what we have left as – what we have left is diminishing. We must take action now to restore and recreate habitat, so that species can reclaim the places they once thrived in.
To find out more about the report, visit www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org
