Hundreds More British Species Are Placed on ‘at Risk’ Register
By Ian Johnston
THEY were once common sights of the countryside. But animals such as the hedgehog, house sparrows and starlings have joined a new list of hundreds of creatures and plants in danger or in need of protection.
The number of species on the official UK Biodiversity Action Plan has doubled since the first attempt to map the problem ten years ago.
In 1997, 577 species needed help, but in a new list to be published today the figure has risen to 1,149. The number of species on the list that are found in Scotland more than doubled from 226 to 532.
Experts said the loss of plants and animals – along with the habitats they live in – was continuing as part of the widespread “unravelling of life on this planet”.
However, they said part of the reason for the rise was that scientists now know more about what is happening to our wildlife, which enables steps to be taken to preserve it.
But life in Britain for at least one species has come to an end. The large copper butterfly, which was on the 1997 list, is now extinct in the UK, with an attempt to reintroduce it having failed and no plans to try again. Professor Colin Galbraith, director of policy and advice at Scottish Natural Heritage, said he was concerned that some species were faring badly.
“What’s worrying is that once-common species, like the skylark and corn bunting, are probably declining now,” he said.
“The best example is the common sparrow, which was very common on farmland.
“The work farmers and foresters are doing is critical for the future. It’s about working with landowners to make sure they are managing the countryside in a way that allows them to make a living and in which biodiversity can improve.”
Climate change puts Scotland’s wildlife under extra pressure and he said there was a need to “create a system of land-use where species can adapt and move as climate change happens”.
He added: “It is a key time for a lot of species on the list.”
Some 123 species have been taken off the list since 1997, and Prof Galbraith said the system of identifying those at risk and coming up with a plan to save them was working.
“We have to be clear what action we can take. Where we do target action, we can do quite a lot. The capercaillie has been the target of a lot of action and has done quite well,” he said.
The new plan will be used to decide which species and habitats should be targeted for conservation work in a bid to halt the loss of biodiversity in the UK by 2010.
The revised list sees the garden tiger moth and the grass snake joining previously prioritised creatures such as the otter, bottlenosed dolphin, red squirrel and black grouse.
Pine martens, wildcats, mountain hares, common toads, adders and brown long-eared bats have all been added to the list.
In the UK’s seas, two seahorse species are classified as under threat, along with several types of shark, including the porbeagle, as well as the Atlantic salmon.
Sedges, helleborine and marsh orchids and two threatened species of dandelion are among plants included. The yellow mayfly and the St Kilda wren have also been added.
Grahame Madge, of the RSPB, said while some species had been added to the list because of improved research methods, others had suffered declines in recent years.
“The number of species needing help is increasingly rapidly. We have seen a doubling of the list of birds to a point where more than one in five UK species are deemed in need of some conservation help,” he said.
“The house sparrow and the starling have declined by more than half in the past 25 years.
“We knew a lot about these species ten, 20, 30 years ago, so the inclusion of those species on the list shows these are real changes happening.”
Birds newly added to the action plan list which have declined by more than 50 per cent in the past 25 years include the European white-fronted goose, lapwing, Arctic skua, herring gull, cuckoo, lesser spotted woodpecker, tree pipit and yellow wagtail. Other at- risk birds such as black grouse, capercaillie, grey partridge, turtle dove, red-backed shrike, tree sparrow and corn bunting have remained on the list.
Perhaps surprisingly, the golden eagle is not mentioned despite there only being about 440 pairs in Scotland and the threat from poisoning by gamekeepers and other forms of persecution. This is because its numbers have remained relatively stable recently.
Dr Deborah Long, of Plantlife Scotland, said scientists now knew “an awful lot more” than previously.
“I am aware people are panicking about the length of it, but that is because we have gone through the process and those are the facts,” she said.
“But we still have a long way to go. We are still not winning the battle against the loss of biodiversity. We are continuing to lose species and we are continuing to lose habitats and those are very definitely linked.”
There were also 65 habitats listed, up from 49 previously.
A spokeswoman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, said the plan should provide hope for some UK endangered species.
“Inclusion on the list is not necessarily a bad thing, because it means action will be taken to address declines,” she said.
And Fred Edwards, of Scottish Environmental Link, welcomed the fact that the UK was “getting to grips” with the issue.
“In a sense this is a measure of the success of the process that scientific knowledge is building up all the time,” he said.
But he stressed the need for serious action, saying: “Biodiversity isn’t some nice, effete, middle-class interest. It is about the unravelling of life on this planet and at the end of the day, that’s a very important political issue.”
MORE INFO www.uubap.org.uk www.scotlink.org
ADDER vipera berus This snake is still fairly widespread but its population is believed to be on the decline nationally. It is difficult to assess numbers of this secretive reptile, but its preferred habitat of heather moorland, especially with dry stone walls, has been falling sharply since the Second World War.
YELLOW MAYFLY potamanthus luteus The population of this fly is in decline in terms of both numbers and distribution. Well known to river fishermen, it is a key indicator of water quality, as it spends most of its life in rivers and lochs, emerging into the air for only a few days.
STARLING sturnus vulgaris vulgaris Like the house sparrow, this species has experienced around a 50 per cent decline in the last 25 years. There are estimated to be about 804,000 pairs in the UK. In Scotland 200 years ago starlings were breeding only in the Western Isles, Orkney, Shetland and the very far north-east of Caithness. They increased to cover the whole country by 100 years ago and gradually became more common for the next 50 years. Numbers appeared steady until about 1980, when they dipped sharply. These remarkable losses by such a common species seem to be happening over much of north-west Europe and are of considerable concern. On intensively farmed land it is thought that the lack of suitable invertebrate food for the chicks means fewer survive.
WESTERN EUROPEAN HEDGEHOG erinaceus europaeus Widespread but declining nationally. More research and monitoring is needed to assess where action is needed. Possible cause is habitat fragmentation; this applies only within natural range, not to islands where it has been introduced.
ST KILDA WREN troglodytes troglodytes hirtensis The St Kilda wren is a sub-species of the mainland wren and has only been found on Hirta, Dun, Soay and Boreray. There are thought to be only 117 pairs on Hirta. Estimates for other islands are unavailable. It is larger than wrens on the mainland. It is heavily barred, with a long strong bill, distinctly paler and greyer than other Scottish sub-species.
ATLANTIC SALMON salmo salar This prized fish is found widely over the UK and Scotland’s rivers are particularly famed for its abundance. However there were marked declines in catches in the 1990s and early part of this century. The last two years has seen good catches, but it remains to be seen whether this is a blip or the start of a longterm recovery.
GARDEN TIGER MOTH arctia caja This insect is widespread in the UK but declining nationally. It is one of many moths showing a recent fall in numbers, possibly due to intensification of agricultural methods and/or the fragmentation of its preferred habitat. More research is needed.
HOUSE SPARROW passer domesticus There are thought to be about 2.9 million pairs in the UK, but this is about 50 per cent down on the figure 25 years ago. It is suspected that the intensification of agriculture is making a difference in rural areas, but in towns the main factor may be a lack of insect food during the vital days when nestlings need the extra protein. Typically areas occupied by a “clan” of house sparrows will lose their birds quite suddenly and this may be related to the loss of breeding or roosting sites: for instance, when a building is demolished or repaired, or an ivy- covered tree is cut down or a creeper removed from a wall.
COMMON TOAD bufo bufo A species that is widespread across the UK but in marked decline particularly in England. More information is needed but the fall in population is thought to be partly due to increased drainage drying out its habitat. It is thought that this toad could, like the red squirrel, eventually find itself retreating to its last stronghold in Scotland. Conservationists say action is needed now to help this species while it is still common enough to adapt to the changing environment.
MOUNTAIN HARE lepus timidus This animal is widespread in suitable parts of Scotland but found only in small numbers elsewhere. There are thought to be about 350,000 nationally, but there has been a rapid decline in some areas. The mountain hare is still shot as a game animal, but the marked fall in numbers, particularly over the past ten years, has caused some alarm and experts from Scottish Natural Heritage are worried that too many may have been killed by hunters.
WILDCAT felis silvestris There are thought to be up to about 3,500 wildcats. In the UK it is restricted to Scotland. Its distribution and abundance need to be assessed further. One of the major threats is interbreeding with domestic cats, which produces a hybrid species.
PORBEAGLE SHARK lamna nasus It is difficult to assess numbers of this migratory shark, but there have been fewer sightings than in the past and conservationists are concerned about its situation. More monitoring is required to assess its numbers, along with fisheries measures to help preserve it.
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