
Unstable weather patterns fuelled by the climate crisis have had a “devastating impact” on UK wildlife in 2024, according to the National Trust.
In its annual report, the conservation charity highlights alarming declines in key species, including bees, butterflies, moths, and wasps, while seabirds and other animals have also suffered heavily.
The trust’s head of nature conservation and restoration ecology, Ben McCarthy, said the lurch from drier conditions since the summer of 2022 and through much of 2023 to a very wet and mild 2024 – bookended by fierce storms – had had a “devastating impact”.
“The unpredictability of the weather and blurring of the seasons is adding additional stresses to our struggling wildlife,” he said. “The overall trends are alarming.”
Alarming Insect Declines
The report describes 2024 as a “very poor year” for insects, with widespread declines linked to cool, wet weather in early summer. Butterfly numbers crashed in several regions. At Barrington Court in Somerset, butterflies were nearly absent until late August. In west Dorset, only 92 Adonis blue butterflies were recorded in a regularly monitored area, compared with 552 in 2023. Numbers at the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland fell to half their usual level, and at Wicken Fen in Cambridgeshire, butterfly counts during the peak week were the lowest in 15 years.
The decline in insects had cascading effects. Natterjack toads at Formby failed to produce any surviving toadlets, compared to 60 last year. Bat numbers also dropped in roosts like Ennerdale in the Lake District, likely due to fewer insects for food.
Seabirds and Other Wildlife Hit Hard
Ground-nesting waders such as avocets, lapwings, and redshanks experienced poor breeding seasons on the east coast of England. On the Ysbyty Ifan estate in north Wales, curlew chicks failed to survive beyond two weeks due to exposure and starvation.
Seabirds were especially hard-hit, with tern populations on the Farne Islands plummeting to historic lows. Numbers of common, sandwich, and Arctic terns dropped by 70%, 66%, and 51% respectively, with bird flu suspected as a contributing factor.
Sophia Jackson, an area ranger, said: “The plummet in numbers is very shocking, especially because they have recently been added to the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list.”
McCarthy said: “Our seabirds have also been hammered in recent years by a mix of climate change impacts, poor weather and bird flu.”
Disease and Habitat Challenges
The UK’s only native freshwater crayfish, the white-clawed crayfish, continues to struggle. Around 70 were found dead in the River Wansbeck catchment in Northumberland, though the cause remains unknown. Meanwhile, sycamore trees weakened by the 2022 drought are succumbing to sooty bark disease, leading to the felling of 60 trees on National Trust land.
Bright Spots Amid the Gloom
Despite the grim outlook, there were some successes. Suffolk’s first grey seal colony was established at Orford Ness, with more than 130 pups born last winter. Raptors also fared well, with five breeding pairs of little owls recorded at Sherborne Park in Gloucestershire. Cornwall’s chough population grew by over 100 for the second consecutive year.
In Dartmoor, the UK’s smallest dragonfly, the black darter, was spotted in newly created pools at Great Gnats Head, a testament to successful habitat restoration efforts.
The Trust’s climate change adviser, Keith Jones, said: “As the world continues to get hotter, this trend hides a world of extremes – both deluge and drought and shifting patterns. The reality is now playing out in real time, impacting landscapes, nature and the places we look after.”
Weather’s Toll on National Trust Properties
The climate crisis also affected National Trust properties. Storm Henk caused flooding at Avebury Manor in Wiltshire for the first time in 300 years, while Storm Darragh toppled 30 significant trees at Bodnant Garden in Wales, including a 130-year-old Greek fir.
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