The 2023 State of Nature report has just been released. It is a health check on how the UK’s wildlife is faring. It is put together using wildlife data from a group of over 60 conservation organisations.
The results show that wildlife is continuing to show critical decline, with one in six species at risk of extinction. Only one in 14 of our woodlands and just a quarter of our peatlands are in good health.
The UK now has less than half of its biodiversity remaining because of human activity. The evidence from the last 50 years, presented in the State of Nature report, shows that intensive farming and the continuing effects of climate change are the two biggest drivers of nature loss. At sea, unsustainable fishing and climate change are the major contributing factors.
The report also highlights how to respond to crisis, emphasising how wildlife conservation action has made a key difference to many species and habitats. Projects to reverse nature’s decline such as farmers using nature-friendly farming methods, restoring peatland and seagrass beds are supporting its recovery and helping people and wildlife adapt to the effects of climate change.
Nature conservation works, but the scale and ambition need to be rapidly ramped up to tackle, stop and reverse the declines.
Please read the report below and find out ways you can help.
State of Nature 2023 – report on the UK’s current biodiversity