Bird study shows north-south divide

22 May 2008 04:14pm

The RSPB warned of a north-south divide in the fortunes of England's birds as the Government published statistics which show how the UK's wildlife is doing.

There have been significant falls in the numbers of farmland and woodland birds in southern parts of England since 1994, but increases in northern areas, the figures from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs showed.

Other wildlife figures published on International Biodiversity Day showed "specialist" butterflies which need specific habitats to survive have declined by more than half (57%) across the UK since 1976.

In England, butterflies which live solely or mainly on farmland have seen numbers drop by 13% in six years to 2006 while woodland specialists have dropped by almost a fifth in that time.

But Defra said overall trends for English and UK wildlife showed that since 2000 there had been a slowing and halt to the the long-term decline seen in species and habitats.

The department also announced that bats, which have seen long term declines slowed since 1999, and over-wintering water birds have been added to the UK biodiversity indicators which are used to measure the health of the country's wildlife. The move was welcomed by the Wildlife Trusts as creating "a more comprehensive suite" of species to show how the natural world was doing.

John Everitt, The Wildlife Trusts' head of Living Landscape, said: "We have yet to halt biodiversity loss, but the biodiversity indicators do demonstrate that progress is being made and that longer-term declines in our species and habitats are slowing."

He urged the Government to put wildlife at the centre of efforts to adapt to a changing climate, as another of the indicators showed springs were getting earlier.

The Government also announced moves to boost protection of the hen harrier in England through its inclusion on the list of species and habitats for conservation in the country.

The RSPB welcomed the inclusion of the bird of prey which is extremely rare in England, but is not on the UK's Biodiversity Action Plan list because it is more widespread in Scotland. But the conservation charity warned the trends for wild birds across England - another of the indicators - suggested the Government would have difficulty in meeting its target to halt wildlife losses by 2010.

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