Encouraging signs for UK's threatened biodiversity

Corncrakes, Lesser horseshoe bats and native pinewoods are among the threatened species and habitats that are improving through the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UKBAP), according to a report published by Defra on behalf of the UK Biodiversity Partnership today.

The UK Biodiversity Action Plan: Highlights from the 2005 Reporting Round shows that 22% of these priority habitats and 11% of priority species are increasing, and that more priority species are showing improved trends than in past reports (1999 and 2002).

39% of priority habitats and 27% of priority species are still declining – but that decline is slowing for 25% of the 45 habitats included in the UKBAP, and for 10% of the 391 species.

Another 36% of species and 13% of all habitats identified as being among the nation's most threatened have remained stable.

Notable success stories include the UK population of corncrakes, which has doubled since 1993, and lesser horseshoe bats whose numbers have increased by 42% in Wales and 39% in South West England. More than 23,000 hectares of native pinewood have been planted against an ambitious target of 25,000 hectares. The bittern and Deptford pink have also shown improvements.

UK Biodiversity Minister Barry Gardiner said:

“Apart from being something that we value in its own right, biodiversity is a vital part of our natural support system. It helps to regulate climate and provides other benefits that contribute to people's health, prosperity, and enjoyment of the natural environment.

“It is encouraging to see that we appear to have turned the corner in the fight to protect our most threatened species, and the work being done across the UK is beginning to show significant gains.

“Despite these improvements, there is still a lot of work to do, and we cannot afford to relax our efforts to safeguard the UK's wildlife and habitats. There are major challenges for everyone to protect and enhance our biodiversity in the years ahead, but the unprecedented effort being brought to bear on this means that we will meet those challenges head-on.”

Mr Gardiner said the results would not have been possible without the hard work of everyone involved with the UK Biodiversity Partnership, including the statutory nature conservation agencies, NGOs, funders, and business. He paid particular tribute to the Lead Partners, who are responsible for co-ordinating work on priority habitats and species, and the Local Biodiversity Action Plan co-ordinators who delivery action for biodiversity at the local level.

Scotland's Deputy Minster for Environment, Rhona Brankin, said:

“This is an excellent example of how the UK's four administrations are working together to protect the animals, plants and habitats which make our natural environment unique.

“I am particularly pleased to see two predominantly Scottish species, the corncrake and the great yellow bumblebee, singled out as positive examples of recovering populations. We are proud of these success stories.  

“This kind of action to prevent the loss of important wildlife and to reverse previous losses through targeted work for species and habitats is one of the key objectives of the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy. The UKBAP is an important mechanism which helps us deliver this objective.”

The report is available at www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-countryside/biodiversity/index.htm.

Notes to editors

1. The UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UK BAP) was published in 1994 as part of the UK response to the Convention on Biological Diversity signed at Rio in 1992. T he UK BAP helps coordinate and drive conservation work at national and local levels through identifying priorities for action, and setting biological targets for the recovery of species and habitats. Under the plan there are 391 Species Action Plans (covering 475 separate species) and 45 plans for our most threatened habitats in the UK. These are supported by approximately 150 local biodiversity action plans throughout the UK

2. The UK Biodiversity Partnership aims to bring together all the partners involved in UK biodiversity to co-ordinate action to protect and enhance UK wildlife and habitats. The Partnership comprises a wide range of people and organisations from those who provide funds, amateur and professional experts to those who are interested in the rich wildlife and natural history of the UK. Private individuals, business, government, the statutory nature conservation agencies and non government representatives are involved in the Partnership.

3. Progress under the UKBAP is reviewed on a three-year cycle. Lead partners, who are responsible for coordinating and driving action on particular species and habitats, provide the information for this report via the online Biodiversity Action Reporting System (BARS). Local and Regional Biodiversity partnerships also report on action they are delivering at the local level.

The results of the 2005 reporting round will be published at the UKBAP Conference being held in Belfast on 20th June 2006. It will also be available on the UKBAP website www.ukbap.org.uk.

4. A more detailed report will be made available on the web in coming months which will provide more detailed information on these habitats and species - not only on how individual species and habitats are faring, but also on the threats facing these species and habitats and constraints to delivery.

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