Better management needed to reverse countryside decline: report

Integrated management of all the resources in the English countryside is needed if there is to be a reversal in the decline of wildlife and habitats, English Nature has said.

According to the its latest report, 'State of Nature: Lowlands – Future Landscapes for Wildlife', simply protecting the remaining vulnerable sites is longer enough to halt the loss of valuable habitats.

The report, which assesses the health of England’s countryside, found that working at a "landscape scale" would support the protected sites, sustain the wildlife outside them, and allow natural movement across landscapes in response to climate change and human pressures.

The key, said English Nature, was to develop the integrated management of land, water and living resources to promote conservation and sustainable use. This requires action at all levels of society including individuals, communities, businesses, regions and government, the report said.

Dr Keith Duff, English Nature’s Chief Scientist, said the organisation's proposals were not "some romantic notion about recreating the past", but a sustainable land management programme in a modern context.

“England is internationally renowned for its lowland landscapes, such as the chalk downs and Dorset heathlands. However, its wildlife suffered dramatically in the twentieth century from the impact of human activities," he said.

"England is one of the most densely populated countries in the world and this issue affects everyone, not just those living in the countryside."

He added: This landscape-scale approach will also help the natural processes on which we all depend, for example, reducing flooding and securing clean water. We now know that taking care of our natural resources is also good for our mental and physical health, and is essential economically, for example through tourism.”

Agricultural practises of the 20th century on the lowlands led to the loss of habitats through the "cumulative impacts" of agricultural intensification, draining wetlands, planting conifers, development pressure and the destruction of raised bogs by peat extraction, English Nature said.

Large-scale habitat losses (including 97% of wildlife-rich grassland) have caused the decline of many species, such as green-winged orchids, cirl buntings and silver-studded blue butterflies. There have been conservation successes but the overall decline in wildlife has not been reversed, the agency said.

(gmcg)