The updated State of Nature Report for 2019 has been published, and makes sobering reading for the UK. More than 60% of priority species are in decline, and more than a quarter of UK mammal species could be facing extinction, according to the most detailed report yet on the State of the UK's wildlife.

The report examines data from almost 7,000 species and was compiled using data and expertise from more than 70 different organisations, from wildlife organisations to Government bodies. The population changes in many species also seem to be happening more quickly, with declines linked to a variety of factors including climate change, intensification of agriculture, increasing urbanisation and the spread of invasive non-native species, which are establishing in the UK at a rate of 10 per year. 

In spite of these challenges, there have also been conservation success stories. Targeted conservation efforts have enabled some species, such as the bittern and large blue butterfly to re-establish themselves in the UK, and levels of some pollutants are dropping. There are also more people engaged in conservation volunteering than ever before, with over 18,000 volunteers involved in structured monitoring and 70,000 volunteers submitting species records to national recording schemes and Local Environmental Records Centres. 

The report can be accessed here: https://nbn.org.uk/stateofnature2019/.

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