In the UK, More Than Half of Its Plants, Fungi, and Animal Species Eradicated

In the United Kingdom, more than half of its plant, fungi, and animal species have been destroyed. The UK is grappling with a sobering decline in its wildlife, with nearly one in five species facing the threat of extinction.

It is reported by Daily Mail. 

A recent report reveals that creatures, ranging from birds to mice, have suffered significant losses over the past 50 years, along with their natural habitats and fauna. Nearly half of bird species are now at risk of disappearing, while almost a third of amphibians, reptiles, fungi, and lichen, and a quarter of animals are under threat.

More than half of flowering plant species no longer grow in their previous locations, and climate change and intensive farming are the primary culprits behind the UK's average decline of 19% in all living species since monitoring began in 1970.

Even before this, the UK's wildlife had been depleted over centuries due to habitat destruction, unsustainable farming practices, and persecution. This means that over half of the country's plants, fungi, and animals have been wiped out.

Professor Richard Gregory, head of scientific monitoring at the RSPB conservation organization, remarked, "The sobering message is that the state of nature in the UK and its surrounding environment continues to worsen based on the indicators we have, and at the same time, we've never had such an understanding of the UK's natural state and how to fix it."

Led by the RSPB and supported by over 60 research and conservation organizations, the nature report was based on observations by thousands of volunteers who recorded sightings of various species in the UK, its territories, and overseas. They assessed over 10,000 species, as well as the condition of their habitats crucial for their survival, which require "very decisive actions to return them to where they should be," according to Professor Fiona Matthews from the University of Sussex.

It was found that only 7% of broadleaf woodlands are in good condition, and each year, an additional 7,000 hectares of such woodlands need to be expanded, while only a quarter of peatlands, which are also vital carbon sinks, and half of salt marshes remain in good condition.