Home from Home | Where are all the bees and butterflies? UK’s wildlife is in drastic decline, which struck me after 28 years in Hong Kong
- Development, climate change, pesticides and pollution have all taken their toll in the UK, with a huge number of wildlife species at risk of disappearing
- Awareness has grown and there are now national efforts to preserve vulnerable species; those with gardens are encouraged to ensure they are wildlife friendly
Last week I witnessed a murder. A male pheasant, a beautiful bird, ventured on the road in my village. I watched in horror as a white van ploughed straight into it. Carnage!
English country roads are, sadly, littered with a variety of dead animals from birds to badgers, rabbits and foxes. But the threat goes far beyond roadkill. Much of Britain’s wildlife is in the grip of a disturbing decline.
A landmark State of Nature report in 2023 revealed almost one in six of 10,000 species studied are at risk of disappearing from the country. This includes 43 per cent of bird species, 31 per cent of amphibians and reptiles, 26 per cent of mammals and 54 per cent of flowering plants.
I was struck, on returning to England in 2022 after 28 years in Hong Kong, by the lack of bees and butterflies.
Development, climate change, pesticides and pollution have taken their toll. The natural habitat of many species is shrinking. Awareness has grown and there are now national efforts to preserve vulnerable species.
Those with gardens are encouraged to ensure they are wildlife friendly. Such gardens have emerged as a potential lifesaver, with more than 20 million of them in Britain.
