3,000 species of plants and animals ‘on the verge of collapse’

if Yorkshire It is an area that is “incredibly rich in nature,” as stated in the first report Yorkshire Nature. Two-thirds of all British species are found here (more than 40,000) but there’s something that seriously worries experts: there has been an alarming decline, with nearly one in five species declining by more than 25% in the past 20 to 30 years. . Years. According to the report, nearly 2,000 species have been lost in the province over the past 200 years, while others 3,000 will be ‘on the verge of collapse’. But what do we know?

The first report on the state of nature in Yorkshire

if Yorkshire Wildlife Trust For the first time, such a broad and in-depth investigation has been conducted Birds, mammals, insects and plants Residents of the British Territory: A relationship The book is 32 pages long and has been thoughtfully compiled and analyzed from a range of respected environmental sources and organisations Years of observational work Customized and expert by a community of specialists and naturalists.

The report highlights how two-thirds of all the UK’s creatures and plants are found in Yorkshire (between 40,000 and 50,000 species) of which we can identify 140 birds, mammals and butterflies as well as plants. Rachel Bice, CEO, YWTHe said many species had been pushed “to the brink of collapse”: “It would be a real tragedy for everyone who calls Yorkshire home if we lost the haunting call of the curlew, the abundance of gannets and puffins on our coastal cliffs and the magnificent sight of butterflies dancing across our wildflower meadows. We are losing what makes Yorkshire so special We are sleepwalking towards homogeneous landscapes Only the most common and adaptable species can live alongside the demands of human life.

What species are at risk?

If it is true that, in response to losses, species peer out of the danger zone, the report highlights an important fact: species at risk of extinction are in fact, Rarest in the UKor. This means that recovery, in the worst-case scenario, will be almost impossible.

Among these rare species, the report highlights birds, moths and plants:

• the birds – 35% of Britain’s breeding tree sparrows are found in Yorkshire and 21% of the breeding population of the UK’s most endangered resident bird species: the willow. Two-thirds of the regularly breeding birds that winter in Britain are in Yorkshire;
• mites Yorkshire is the only English county home to the dark-brimmed camel moth. The county is also home to more than two-thirds of all British butterfly and moth species;
• plants – Yorkshire is the only place in the country where Yorkshire sandwort, broom thistle and lady’s slipper orchids are found. There are currently approximately 1,000 native flowering plants and fern species known in Yorkshire.

YWT’s chief executive said the report should act as a “rallying cry” for action for nature: “It is essential that we recognize what makes Yorkshire’s wildlife special and nationally important, and call for action to ensure our natural systems and species thrive. With us in the future.”