Weeks of intense grass fires are pushing some of the UK’s rarest wildlife closer to extinction, conservationists have warned.
Species including endangered hen harriers and water voles—the UK’s fastest-declining mammal—are among those severely affected.
The National Trust reported that ongoing wildfires at Abergwesyn Common in Powys have likely destroyed the last remaining local breeding habitat for golden plovers, one of the most striking birds of the British uplands.
So far in 2025, wildfires have burned around 110 square miles (284 sq km) across the UK—an area larger than Birmingham. In Wales alone, fire crews have already battled almost 1,400 wildfires this year, leading authorities to urge the public to act responsibly and report any suspicious behaviour.
The National Trust said 2025 was “turning out to be the worst year ever for these human-caused fires across the country”.
“We’re extremely worried, this is looking like it’s going to be the worst year for seeing our wildlife going up in flames,” said Ben McCarthy, the charity’s head of nature conservation.
A record dry spell combined with unusually high March temperatures, along with leftover vegetation from a relatively quiet fire year in 2024, have created dangerous conditions.
Coed Cadw, the Woodland Trust in Wales, reported that a precious stretch of temperate Atlantic rainforest at Allt Boeth near Aberystwyth, home to rare plants, lichens, and fungi, has been affected. Damage has also been noted to protected bluebell populations. Often called Celtic rainforest, this ecosystem is now considered more endangered than tropical rainforests.
Meanwhile, in England, several thousand newly planted trees at Marsden Moor in West Yorkshire have been destroyed by fire. In Northern Ireland’s Mourne Mountains, ground-dwelling animals like reptiles and invertebrates have been “torched alive,” highlighting the scale of devastation.
“That then cascades through the food web because without the invertebrates you don’t get the birds who are reliant on them for food,” Mr McCarthy said.
Conservationists emphasised the importance of government funding to help farmers and land managers restore peat bogs. Healthy peat bogs not only absorb carbon emissions but also act as natural firebreaks and provide critical habitat.
Groups like The Wildlife Trusts and the Initiative for Nature Conservation Cymru (INCC) voiced growing fears for species like the water vole, whose habitats are being lost at an alarming rate. Although small animals such as voles and shrews may survive fast-moving fires by retreating into burrows, their habitats and food sources are often wiped out.
Rob Parry of the INCC described water voles as “the fastest-declining mammal ever.”
“Their last foothold [in Wales] is in the uplands so when those sites are burned it is awful for that particular population, but from a UK point of view we are one step closer to the extinction of an entire species,” he said.
The INCC is also monitoring five breeding pairs of barn owls in the Amman Valley, an area where fires have already destroyed vast swathes of habitat.
“A few weeks ago they had all of this area to find food for their chicks and suddenly they don’t have that any more,” said Mr Parry.
“I don’t know how they are going to cope. A wildfire just makes that habitat disappear overnight.”
Other species, such as hen harriers and skylarks, are also suffering. Hen harriers had been the focus of significant conservation work in the Welsh uplands, while skylarks have seen dramatic declines since the 1970s.
“We’re worried enough as it is about wildlife,” said Mr Parry.
“We’re one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world and wildfires every spring at the worst possible time is a burden that wildlife and the environment just can’t cope with.”
The INCC has called for tighter regulations on controlled burns and improved monitoring of wildfire impacts on the environment. Natural Resources Wales (NRW) described wildfires as a “massive issue,” particularly in the south, where more than half of Wales’ wildfires occur, according to Welsh Government figures.
Becky Davies, a senior officer at NRW, said: “In the last three days we’ve had over 75 fires in the south Wales valleys alone.
“We have a lot of hillsides that are linear, the valley side has a lot of bracken, a lot of heathland, grassland and coal spoil and that is the sort of hillside that goes up in flames.”
Wildfires have environmental effects beyond the immediate destruction of habitat. After a fire, rains can wash bare soil and phosphates into streams and rivers, damaging water quality.
The number of wildfires fluctuates year by year depending on dry weather patterns. However, figures obtained by the BBC reveal that in south Wales, grassfires have increased by 1,200% compared to the same time last year. Between 1 January and 10 April 2024, 34 wildfires were recorded, compared to 445 in the same period in 2025. North Wales crews have attended 170 fires, while Mid Wales Fire and Rescue tackled 772 blazes so far this year.
Wildfire incidents are also up in England and Northern Ireland, and Scotland’s fire service has issued an extreme wildfire alert covering the entire country. Data show that most wildfires are started deliberately, though others stem from accidents such as discarded disposable barbecues or poorly managed controlled burns.
In south Wales, firefighters are taking a proactive approach by visiting primary schools to educate children about the devastating effects of wildfires. At Pontnewydd Primary School in Cwmbran, South Wales Fire and Rescue Service and Gwent Police introduced students to animals like snakes, hedgehogs, and foxes to foster a stronger connection with wildlife.
Station manager Mark Bowditch stressed that his crews witness firsthand the immense damage wildfires cause to animals and their habitats.
“We see the death of local wildlife, we see the destruction of their habitat,” he said.
“We accept that some fires can be accidental, but deliberate fire setting is a crime and that’s the message we’d like to get out.”
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