Researchers have compiled the UK’s first official Red List of endangered species, showing that a quarter of native mammals in Britain are “at imminent risk of extinction.” The leading causes of the wildlife declines are alien invasive species, historical persecution, and the destruction of natural habitat.
The IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) has approved the list, using the same internationally agreed guidelines behind the global Red Lists of threatened species, such as tigers and elephants. The official nature agencies in Scotland, Wales, and England will be required to abide by the rules.
Eleven mammals on the list include species of the woodlands, rivers, and mountains, including the red squirrel, wildcat, hedgehog, hazel dormouse, and water vole. Another five mammals, such as the mountain hare, are classified as “near threatened.” Four other mammals, including the whiskered bat and the wild boar, don’t have enough data to make an assessment.
Prof Fiona Mathews, the chair of Mammal Society, who led the report, said:
All 20 species need urgent attention. While we bemoan the demise of wildlife in other parts of the world, here in Britain, we are managing to send even rodents towards extinction. Things have to change rapidly if we want our children and grandchildren to enjoy the wildlife, we take for granted.
The IUCN guidelines show the timescale evaluated is ten years or three generations of animals. “The three categories of threat – critically endangered, endangered and vulnerable – tell you about the probability of the animal becoming extinct within this imminent timeframe,” Mathews added.
Tony Juniper, Natural England’s chairman, said:
This is a wake-up call, but it is not too late to act. We are working with our partners to recover our threatened and widely loved mammals, including licensing the reintroduction of beavers into England and supporting the recovery of dormice and the grey long-eared bat, but there is so much more to do. Central to the recovery of these and other creatures will be the protection and restoration of large areas of suitable habitat.
In October, a UK wildlife report found that since 1970 the populations of UK’s most important species have dropped by an average of 60%, and it was “among the most nature depleted countries in the world.”
Since 1945 meadows have declined by 97%, affecting several species that depend on them. Some of these species include four bats on the British Red List, one being the endangered grey long-eared bat, which are now numbered at only 1,000. Loss of habitat has also caused the hazel dormouse to be classified as vulnerable, as well as hedgehogs, whose numbers have dropped by 50% since 2007. Water voles have also declined due to the loss of riverside habitats.
Historical persecution has caused the numbers of endangered beavers and critically endangered wildcats to drop. Though, this can be reversed, as beavers are eagerly breeding in the wild. Meanwhile, invasive species have harmed native mammals, including the endangered red squirrel, which has lost over 60% of its range in the past 13 years, mostly by a disease from grey squirrels.
However, just because some species aren’t on the Red List doesn’t mean they’re free from troubles. Most of the time, the range that a species occupies is known, but there is either little or no data on the precise number of animals, which could be falling drastically. For example, based on research, Mathews suggests that the weasel should be on the list.
Landowners who want to make habitats for wildlife currently have little reward for such tasks; therefore, low motivation. Thankfully, there is a new post-Brexit subsidy scheme that’s planned to be rolled out, in which the government will pay farmers for public goods, such as wildlife.
