State of Nature report - RSPB

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Mark Hamblin Upland “...the pleasantest manner of spending a hot July day was lying from morning till evening on a bank of heath in the middle of the moors, with the bees humming dreamily about among the bloom, and the larks singing high up overhead...” Emily Brontë, from Wuthering Heights
UPLAND The UK’s uplands are the hills, valleys, moors and mountains that form a distinctive and beloved part of our countryside. Habitats range from pastures and hay meadows in valley bottoms, to more extensive areas of rough grass, heather moor, blanket bog, woodland and mountain summits. Nearly all of the world’s heather moorland is found in the UK. Golden plover Despite their wild appearance, these habitats, shaped by altitude, aspect, soils and climate, have been influenced by man for thousands of years, through grazing, burning and forest clearance. Today, they are used, in places intensively, for pastoral farming, game shooting, forestry, drinking water collection, energy generation and nature conservation. Large areas are designated as protected sites, such as SSSIs, National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs). The uplands are home to a variety of specialist flora and fauna, including the mountain hare, golden eagle, golden plover, alpine saxifrage, mountain ringlet butterfly and bilberry bumblebee, alongside a wealth of rare bryophytes and lichens. Some of these are endemics, found nowhere else in the world, such as the northern prongwort, a liverwort which occurs only on Beinne Eighe National Nature Reserve in Scotland. The natural and cultural importance of uplands cannot be overestimated, but amidst this richness, land managers seek to make a living here, whilst remaining sensitive to the needs of wildlife and the environment. Andrew Parkinson Our knowledge of the status and trends of many plants and animals in the uplands is poor, largely because of a lack of systematic and long-term monitoring. Of 877 upland species for which we have information, 65% have declined and 35% have declined strongly. 118 upland plant species are on recent national Red Lists, including 85 moss and liverwort species. Fourteen upland moss and liverwort species are already extinct. Historic and continuing changes in land use and management, including woodland clearance and atmospheric pollution, have resulted in habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation, and a loss of diversity at a range of scales. Although some species thrive from intensive grazing and burning regimes, most species and habitats benefit from less intensive grazing and habitat management. STATE OF NATURE 2013 29
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 and 16: Although the evidence for the wides
Page 17 and 18: FARMLAND Farmland makes up around 7
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: Common lizard Steve Knell All six o
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
Page 75 and 76: 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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