UK: Extinction Central

The UK is the most biodiversity-depleted country in Europe. One in six of its current species of animals, fungi and plants are now at risk of extinction. For a country that pioneered much of natural history and has repeatedly waxed lyrical about nature, this should be devastating news (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/sep/27/species-risk-extinction-great-britain-wildlife-state-of-nature-report). Since 1970, when I started teaching Biological Sciences, the abundance of species in a recent report by leading wildlife scientists, have declined by an average of 16%. Many species of terrestrial mammals, birds and amphibians are described as being in 'freefall'. The declines, of course, are basically driven by human activities. These notably include agriculture, development, water treatment as well as inappropriate use of fertilizers, herbicides and insecticides. The organisms that populate UK ecologies pollinate crops, kill pests, recycle dead organic material, clean our waters etc. Without these 'services', worth millions of pounds, we'll eventually be living in a sterile wasteland. The fact that some conservation programmes seem to be having beneficial effects is of limited consolation. UK organisms shouldn't have to be on 'life-support'. Many decision makers in the UK actually appear to be willfully ignorant about environmental issues ('green crap'). Money talks much louder than the environment in this country. Without the environment, however, there's no country.