The Great Thinning

More than a quarter of British mammals face extinction according to a detailed and devastating report, providing the clearest picture to date, having examined data from almost 7,000 species, on the state of the natural world in the UK. It drew on expertise from more than 70 different organisations. These included wildlife organisations and government agencies.

It also said one in seven species were threatened with extinction, and 41% of species studied have experienced decline since 1970. The report said 26% of mammal species were at risk of disappearing altogether. A quarter of moths have been lost, and nearly one in five butterflies. Their numbers continue to plunge.

 Almost one in five plants are classified as being at risk of extinction, along with 15% of fungi and lichens, 40% of vertebrates and 12% of invertebrates.It paints a picture of what conservationists call "the great thinning", with 60% of "priority species" having declined since 1970.

There has been a 13% decline in the average abundance of species studied. Our wildlife is also changing more and more quickly. Researchers found more than half of species had either rapidly decreased or increased in number over the last 10 years. 

The study cited the intensification of agriculture as a key driver of species loss. While this has, the report's authors said, led to greater food production, it has also had a "dramatic impact on farmland biodiversity". The study said the area of crops treated with pesticides increased by 53% between 1990 and 2010. The report also said climate change was "driving widespread changes in the abundance, distribution and ecology of the UK's wildlife, and will continue to do so for decades or even centuries to come". The authors also said that, in the UK, many species, including birds, butterflies, moths and dragonflies have shifted their range north over the last four decades, moving by, on average, 20km per decade. Warming seas also caused disruption, with marked changes in plankton and fish distribution.

Daniel Hayhow from the RSPB, lead author of the report, said: "We know more about the UK's wildlife than any other country on the planet, and what it is telling us should make us sit up and listen. We need to respond more urgently across the board."

Rosie Hails, nature and science director at the National Trust said: "The UK's wildlife is in serious trouble... we are now at a crossroads when we need to pull together with actions rather than words."

Natural England chair Tony Juniper said: "Today's report paints a stark picture of the state of some of our most-loved species. These losses matter as they represent an unravelling of the web on which we depend." 

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-49892209