State of Nature report - RSPB

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Ernie Janes Farmland “The earth was green, the sky was blue: I saw and heard one sunny morn A skylark hang between the two, A singing speck above the corn...” Christina Rossetti, from A Green Cornfield
FARMLAND Farmland makes up around 75% of the UK’s landscape. However, in this part of our analysis we concentrated on enclosed farmland, which covers 40% of the UK’s land area 1 and includes arable fields, improved and semi-improved grassland in livestock production and associated features such as fallow land, field margins and hedgerows. Such enclosed farmland is home to many much-loved species, from singing skylarks and boxing hares, to chirruping grasshoppers and blood-red poppies that carpet summer fields. The wildlife here provides many people with their closest connection to nature, as they live in, travel through, or visit farmland. This natural richness – a single hedgerow alone can support 750 species of fly 2 – is affected by the way that the land is managed for food. If farming systems, practices and policies change, they can have a massive impact on farmland wildlife, and there is extensive evidence of this. Index (1970 = 100) 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 1970 Widespread butterflies (25) Widespread bats (6) Farmland birds (19) 1975 1980 1985 Figure 5 UK indicators for farmland birds, widespread bats and butterflies 3 . The numbers in brackets refer to the number of species in each group. Data from BC, BCT, BTO, CEH, Defra, JNCC and the RSPB. 1990 Year 1995 2000 2005 2010 UK indicators show that farmland birds and butterflies have declined substantially since the 1970s and 1990s respectively. Of 1,064 farmland species for which we have trends, 60% have decreased and 34% have decreased strongly. 14% of all farmland flowering plants are on the national Red List: 62 species in all. Many of the changes in farmland wildlife are linked to shifts in farmland management, particularly those intended to boost productivity. Some species groups, such as birds and bats, have benefited from conservation action, particularly through agri-environment schemes. Despite this, most farmland species have failed to recover from the declines of recent decades. STATE OF NATURE 2013 17
Page 3 and 4: STATE OF NATURE Foreword by Sir Dav
Page 5 and 6: UPLAND STATE OF NATURE 2013 29
Page 7 and 8: Although robust data are in short s
Page 9 and 10: ought species back from the brink o
Page 11 and 12: Wasps (175) All (5%) Moths (676) La
Page 13 and 14: MEASURING THE STATE OF NATURE Measu
Page 15: Although the evidence for the wides
Page 19 and 20: Why is farmland wildlife changing?
Page 21 and 22: Brown hares have benefited from hab
Page 23 and 24: lowland semi-natural grassland and
Page 25 and 26: Why is lowland semi-natural grassla
Page 27 and 28: Common lizard Steve Knell All six o
Page 29 and 30: UPLAND The UK’s uplands are the h
Page 31 and 32: o single factor is responsible for
Page 33 and 34: Golden eagles and other animals are
Page 35 and 36: WOODLAND Much of Britain was once c
Page 37 and 38: Why is woodland wildlife changing?
Page 39 and 40: Increased grazing pressure from dee
Page 41 and 42: COASTAL Wrapped in a narrow ribbon
Page 43 and 44: Why is coastal wildlife changing? T
Page 45 and 46: Genevieve Leaper Sea thrift on a cl
Page 47 and 48: FRESHWATER AND WETLANDS Freshwater
Page 49 and 50: Why is freshwater and wetland wildl
Page 51 and 52: Common frog Mark Sisson Freshwater
Page 53 and 54: URBAN There are many different ways
Page 55 and 56: Why is urban wildlife changing? A s
Page 57 and 58: The renovation or demolition of old
Page 59 and 60: URBAN Derelict, disused and unloved
Page 61 and 62: MARINE he UK is truly a maritime na
Page 63 and 64: hanges in the temperature, circulat
Page 65 and 66: Harbour seals have declined by near
Page 67 and 68:
UK OVERSEAS TERRITORIES The UK has
Page 69 and 70:
Just one individual of St Helena’
Page 71 and 72:
EXTINCTIONS AND COLONISATIONS You w
Page 73 and 74:
Little egret Ernie Janes The little
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CONSERVATION HEROES Picture the sce
Page 77 and 78:
Climate change Climate change is al
Page 79 and 80:
A: In some datasets, both total cha
Page 81 and 82:
Watchlist indicator Between 1995 an
Page 83 and 84:
11: Fuller RM (1987) Biological Con
Page 85 and 86:
in urban area: implications for nat
Page 87 and 88:
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Acknowledgements T
Page 89 and 90:
Conchological Society of Great Brit
Page 92:
The State of Nature report is a col
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State of Nature report - RSPB

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