Home / Environment / UK Birds Vanish: Climate Change Blamed
UK Birds Vanish: Climate Change Blamed
10 Jul
Summary
- UK's Dotterel population decline is an 89% drop since 1987/88.
- Wilmott's whitebeam, found only in Bristol's Avon Gorge, is critically endangered.
- 95% of UK and Ireland's rowan, whitebeam, and service trees remain threatened.
A recent survey indicates that the UK may be documenting species extinction driven by climate change for the first time. The Dotterel bird, a species whose males incubate eggs, has seen its breeding population disappear from England, Wales, and southern Scotland.
The RSPB reports an alarming 89% decline in Dotterel since 1987/88, with losses accelerating in areas previously considered stable, such as the Cairngorms.
Concurrently, a unique tree species, Wilmott's whitebeam, found solely in Bristol's Avon Gorge, is now critically endangered. Its status was updated by the IUCN due to railway construction and an unidentified pathogen.
This reassessment by Botanic Gardens Conservation International underscores that 95% of assessed UK and Ireland native rowan, whitebeam, and service trees remain threatened, emphasizing the critical need for conservation efforts.
