Over half of the UK’s species are in decline, with 15% at risk of vanishing from these shores. What is more, according to a major report by 50 wildlife and research organisations, intensive agriculture is the leading cause of losses.  

The State of Nature 2016 report - an update of a groundbreaking paper from 2013 which tracked the fortunes of thousands of species of plant and animal - has concluded that immediate action is needed to reverse startling biodiversity declines in Britain.

The report looks at the long-term and short-term fortunes of 8,000 species in the UK’s land and freshwater habitats. In all, 56% of species have experienced declines in numbers or range since 1970, and 53% suffered declines between 2002 and 2013 (when the first report was published). More than ten precent of species (1,199 of 8,000) were classed as being at risk of disappearing from our shores altogether.

Though climate change, urban sprawl and other factors leading to loss of habitats are having an effect on declines, the report finds that agriculture - which accounts for over 70% of land-use in the country - is having an “overwhelming negative” effect on biodiversity in Britain. Preliminary findings for the updated report, conducted by the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology and published in the scientific journal PLOS ONE in March, showed that in Britain at least, agriculture has been worse for species than climate change. 

Agricultural factors influencing declines include a loss of mixed farms, changes in sowing patters, a switch from hay to silage in pastures, new chemistry and increased use of some pesticides and fertilisers and a loss of hedgerow and pond habitats from farmland.

Brexit a chance to turn the tide

Reacting on the report’s publication, the RSPB, one of the wildlife organisations behind State of Nature, said there are many inspiring examples of conservation work helping to turn the tide of decline, and pioneering research projects have also helped identify the causes of population changes with greater accuracy. Reintroductions of the pine marten and large blue butterfly, the accidental return of beavers to the wild in Devon and the restoration of areas of uplands, meadows and coastal habitats are all positives, though the overall picture is bleak.
 
RSPB said June’s Brexit vote represents an opportunity to improve protection for wildlife and restore natural habitats in Britain. The charity is calling on the government to be “ambitious” in its policy making, and to invest in improving the UK’s environment for future generations.
 
Commenting on its release, the report’s lead author Mark Eaton said, “Never before have we known this much about the state of UK nature and the threats it is facing. Since the 2013, the partnership and many landowners have used this knowledge to underpin some amazing scientific and conservation work. But more is needed to put nature back where it belongs – we must continue to work to help restore our land and sea for wildlife.
 
“There is a real opportunity for the UK Government and devolved administrations to build on these efforts and deliver the significant investment and ambitious action needed to bring nature back from the brink.”

However, the NFU has contested the findings. Ahead of the report’s release, NFU Vice President Guy Smith said, “As the report acknowledges, agricultural policies of the past did focus on maximising food production resulting in the intensification of farming in the years after World War II. However, since the early 1990s, in terms of inputs and in terms of numbers of livestock and area of crops grown British agriculture has not intensified. In fact it's the reverse. Therefore it makes little sense to attribute cause and effect to 'the intensification of agriculture' in the UK in the last quarter of a century when there hasn't been any. Other causes acknowledged in the report, such as urbanisation, climate change or increasing predator pressure need greater attention.”

The NFU vice president claimed, “British farmers have embraced the conservation agenda. They have planted or restored 30,000km of hedgerows, they reserve the borders of their fields to plant wildflowers for birds and bees, they are ensuring cleaner water and they are using less fertiliser and pesticides than ever.”

Guy Smith said that, in light of pressures on food production stemming from climate change and population increases, “The NFU believes the sustainable intensification of agriculture will be an important tool with which farmers will help to make a significant contribution to the challenge of both domestic and global food security.

“This means using a spectrum of approaches which enhance yields and other ecosystem services by promoting better use of resources. For example, using technology to precisely apply vital plant nutrients or fine-tune livestock diets to reduce waste and inefficiencies in the system.” He said, “Good husbandry, good animal welfare and good agronomy all play a major role in balancing the need to produce food using less. This is why farmers are best-placed to be part of the solution.”

However, looking at future farm spending scenarios in a paper released earlier this month, Oxford University economist Dieter Helm criticised appeals to domestic food security and questioned claims that farmers have been effective custodians of Britain’s countryside. He warned that agriculture - unlike any other industry - has passed on negative environmental impacts for others to pay for, and that until now subsidy regimes have reinforced this situation.

Speaking at the State of Nature report’s launch at the Royal Society in London, Sir David Attenborough said, “The natural world is in serious trouble and it needs our help as never before. The future of nature is under threat and we must work together; Governments, conservationists, businesses and individuals, to help it. Millions of people in the UK care very passionately about nature and the environment and I believe that we can work together to turn around the fortunes of wildlife.”

The State of Nature Report can be read here.