Urbanisation is described as one of the top
five reasons
why we are seeing a decline in wildlife species around the UK.
Major factors include:
- Intensive conventional agriculture – involving habitat loss,
reduction in soil quality and heavy use of fertilisers and
pesticides;
- Pollution – from over consumption and the production of wastes
harming species and habitats;
- Urbanisation – fragmenting habitats and degrading the natural
environment
- Climate change – extreme weather events and changes in the pattern
of seasons affecting wildlife behaviour and forcing some species to
seek more habitable climates;
- Non-native invasive species – out competing native species or
spreading disease.
The report does highlight some positive trends where conservation and
alternative practices are producing better results. Many of the
partners in the Biodiversity in Planning project supported the
production of the State of Nature report and are working hard to
reverse these trends. This includes the ‘
Back from the
Brink’ project which aims to restore key habitats for 20
of the UK’s most endangered species. For example, Limestone
grasslands are being restored in the Cotswolds to protect this key
habitat for a whole host of species, including the Red-shanked Carder
Bee, the Duke of Burgundy and Marsh Fritillary butterflies, Fly
Orchid, Basil Thyme and the rare Greater Horseshoe Bats.
The partners argue that, through better planning and development
humanity can live more harmoniously with nature. Our three
case
studies, a self-build project in
Hampshire, Gloucestershire services station and the Springhill
Co-housing project, highlight that even smaller housing and
infrastructure projects can be produced in ways that benefit from and
support natural ecosystems and wildlife. The partnership have pooled
their knowledge about the distribution of species to produce a free
tool for developers; the
Wildlife
Assessment Check, designed to help identify those
species and protected sites that might be affected by a development
and to highlight whether the developer needs ecological expertise. In
an ideal world, all developments would take account of their wildlife
impact and seek to enhance biodiversity, as the government’s new Biodiversity
Net Gain
proposal is calling for. However many smaller developers may be
unaware of the statutory protections in place to support wildlife. The
Wildlife
Assessment Check aims to help them take greater
account of their impact and consider ways to enhance their proposals
to promote wildlife.
It is vital we find ways to reconnect with these species and
ecosystems that are essential to humanity, as Tony Juniper, chair of
Natural England argues:
“It’s important to remember that that loss of wildlife literally
represents an unravelling of the web of life. And it’s in that web
of life that all of human society and our economy is in the end embedded.
Not only should we redouble our efforts to conserve nature for its
beauty and its intrinsic values but because we depend on nature for
our health, wealth and security.”
Further information
Partnership for
Biodiversity in Planning
State
of Nature 2019: Full UK report