A wildlife charity has issued a warning that 3,000 plant and animal species are at risk in Yorkshire, including popular species such as swifts and curlews.
According to a report by the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust (YWT), nearly 2,000 species have disappeared from the county over the past 200 years.
This report, titled “The State of Yorkshire’s Nature,” marks the first time YWT has published such detailed concerns. Compiled and analysed from a variety of respected sources and environmental organisations, the report reflects years of expert monitoring by specialists and naturalists.
Rachael Bice, YWT’s chief executive, stated that many species are on the “brink of collapse.”
“It would be a true tragedy for everyone who calls Yorkshire home if we lost the haunting call of the curlew, the abundance of gannets and puffins on our coastal cliffs, and the uplifting sight of butterflies dancing across our wildflower meadows,” she said.
“We are losing what makes Yorkshire so special, and sleepwalking towards homogenised landscapes where only the most common and adaptable species can survive alongside the demands of human life.”
The report highlights Yorkshire as a critical habitat for some of the UK’s rarest and most threatened species, including:
- Birds: Yorkshire is home to 35% of British breeding tree sparrows and 21% of the UK’s breeding willow tits, the most threatened resident bird species. Two-thirds of Britain’s regularly breeding and wintering birds can be found in Yorkshire.
- Moths: Yorkshire is the only English county that hosts the dark bordered beauty moths and supports over two-thirds of all British butterfly and moth species.
- Plants: Unique to Yorkshire are species such as Yorkshire sandwort, thistle broomrape, and lady’s slipper orchids. Nearly 1,000 species of native flowering plants and ferns are known in Yorkshire.
Ms. Bice emphasised that the report should serve as a “rallying cry” for nature conservation.
She added: “It is vital that we recognise what makes Yorkshire’s wildlife distinctive, nationally important, and demand the action which will ensure our natural systems and species can flourish alongside us into the future.”
This comprehensive audit of the county’s birds, mammals, insects, and plants underscores Yorkshire’s significance to the broader UK ecosystem.
Spanning 32 pages, the report reveals that two-thirds of the UK’s wildlife, comprising between 40,000 and 50,000 species, reside in Yorkshire, including 140 species of birds, mammals, moths, and plants. However, the report also documents the adverse impacts of climate change and habitat loss on the region.
The timing of the report’s release is strategic, coinciding with the upcoming elections. The YWT aims to elevate conservation on the political agenda, addressing issues such as land use, farming practices, and development policies.
Conservationists believe that enhancing the quality of habitats in Yorkshire’s wetlands, coasts, and limestone areas could significantly benefit wildlife. The report underscores the urgent need for policy changes to protect and restore these critical habitats, ensuring the survival of Yorkshire’s diverse and threatened species.
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