Herefordshire Biodiversity Partnership

Threatened Biodiversity The Need For Action

Biodiversity is declining both globally and locally. It has been estimated that somewhere in the region of 100 species per day are going extinct globally. In the UK more than 100 species were lost during the twentieth century. These included 7% of dragonflies, 5% of butterflies and more than 2% of fish and mammals.

Losses in the UK have been particularly rapid and generally accelerating, over the last fifty years. During that period 97 of hay meadows have been lost. Between 1984 and 1993, almost 100,000 miles of English hedges were grubbed out, reducing the total length from 302,000 miles to 204,000 miles. The loss, fragmentation and isolation of wildlife habitats further endangers the species that depend upon them, as the remnants may be too small to support a viable population, too widely scattered for movement between sites to be possible, or surrounded by hostile habitat, making movement impossible. Species lost to the UK in recent years include corncockle, thorow-wax and small bur-parsley. Populations of many species are declining at an alarming rate, for example numbers of breeding skylarks and song thrushes have declined by over 50% in the last 25 years while the once common cornflower and pheasant's eye have become rare.

Locally important losses have occurred too. Habitat loss in Herefordshire has followed the national trend, with an estimated 69 of species-rich grassland being lost over the last 20 years and hedgerow loss having accelerated since the 1970s. Species lost to Herefordshire in the last 25 years have included breeding corncrake and red-backed shrike. These follow losses to the county throughout the past century, which include black grouse, the marsh fritillary butterfly and the cornflower.