State of Nature report - RSPB

URBAN
There are many different ways to define “urban areas”,
but a sensible definition suggests that about 9.5% of
the UK is urbanised – a figure which ranges from 3%
in Scotland and Northern Ireland, to nearly 15% in England 1 .
Urban areas contain about 80% of the human population 2 ,
with densities varying widely both within and between urban
areas. Obviously, urban areas contain buildings, roads and
other elements of the built environment, but also – crucially
for wildlife – open spaces such as parks, woodlands, playing
fields, gardens and allotments. Within this section we also
consider brownfield land that has been previously developed
and then abandoned, and the rich wildlife it can support.
The built elements of urban landscapes provide little in the
way of habitat for wildlife, but some species, such as the
house sparrow, swift and several bats, rely on buildings for
nesting and roosting sites. Some of these bats are rare or
threatened, including greater and lesser horseshoe bats and
grey long-eared bats. It is the space around buildings that
provides opportunities for most species, and the extent and
management of that space makes the difference between
sterile, lifeless cities and those with wildlife that can enrich
people’s lives.
Our gardens are obvious spaces for nature, but allotments,
cemeteries, playing fields and parks, derelict pockets of
land and even old stone walls are equally important and can
support rich communities of wildlife. Belfast’s parks are home
to red squirrels, kittiwakes nest in Newcastle and otters swim
through Edinburgh. The UK’s urban areas have the potential
to hold a wealth of wildlife, if we give nature a chance.
Kittiwake nesting in Newcastle
However, an obvious pressure on urban wildlife is the need to
house an expanding human population 3 . Following the Second
World War there was a trend towards suburbanisation, with
sprawling cities and new towns. In the 1980s, attention
focused on developing brownfield sites and open spaces
within urban areas, squeezing our urban wildlife even further.
David Tipling
Urban wildlife plays a crucial role in enriching people’s lives: without it,
many people would have no access to nature and all the benefits it brings.
The UK’s increasing human population means more pressure on urban green
spaces, and less room for wildlife.
Of the 658 urban species for which we have data, 59% have declined and 35%
have declined strongly. Invertebrates are doing particularly poorly in urban
environments with 42% (183) showing strong declines.
Despite the fact that brownfield sites provide important refuges for a diverse
range of wildlife, including many rare and threatened invertebrates, they are
often viewed as ripe for development and receive little protection.
STATE OF NATURE 2013 53