The State of Nature

On R4 Today programme today, David Attenborough voiced his concerns about the state of the wildlife in the UK, Quote: “It’s not surprising, we’ve getting on for a third more people in this country over the last 50 years."



It is sad to see British wildlife disappear. The situation of an expanding population on a comparatively small set of islands is difficult. Is it manageable?

We may tend to think that although wildlife has become rare where we live, that it's still doing well in places like Scotland and Wales, but no, even there it's a worrying picture.




With emphasis on the economy, ideas of housebuilding and large projects like railways, plus expected new waves of immigrants and a generally expanding population, something needs to be done everywhere and locally to protect wildlife.

I don't profess to know much on this subject but, why can't new properties be restricted to brown field sites and not our beautiful countryside? and certainly not to house a whole load of new immigrants.

There....i've said it!

Yes, it does seem a confused set of priorities. 'The Nation' has just bought a Constable painting of how the English landscape used to be for 23 million pounds of our money, so that we won't forget how it was.



The UK has suffered from over population for centuries, we used to send our surplus population off to 'the colonies', but they are a bit full up now. Have to see how it goes, but when I see brilliant bits of nature still left, in neglected corners, I'm sadly aware that it is disappearing.

How do you mean? Disappearing? Do you mean the landscapes are being changed or have left the planet?
If you mean the former then surely this is only due to evolution? If you mean the latter - shouldn't we be a little more concerned? Hmm!

Disappearing in the sense that there are less of them. Fewer hedgehogs, newts, frogs, butterflies, nightingales, voles, shrews, and all the creatures that make up UK wildlife. There was a good recovery about 20 years ago, when many chemicals were banned, but the long term trend is, in line with the global one, loss of habitat.

More about now than when I was young, and the environment is incomparably better too.

It is a mixed picture, what appears to be the case is not always the full story, as with most things.

I go with johnb. There is an abundance of wildlife in this country to what there was in the 1950s, mainly due to 'clean-up' post industrialisation. The balances may well be being lost at present due to the rapid industrialisation of other nations and the massive (unsustainable) growth in our own species. This however is, as previously muted, part and parcel of a natural evolution which must be endured alongside all previous calamaties to which the planet has been assailed. Simply because 'man' has cultivated an intelligence somewhat 'superior' (many would question the use of the word) to other previous species and in doing so may be the architect of his own destruction alongside that of the planet itself doesn't detract from it being part of a natural evolutionary process. So what to do? And having done so is that not 'also' a part of an evolutionary process? The mind boggles - - - and having done so answers nothing!

Did you listen to Sophie Lake?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01rkyv5
She explains about "generational amnesia" better than I could.

Yes, Johnb is quite right. I was brought up on the edge of Manchester, and see things from a similar perspective. Ex industrial areas are now some of the best places for wildlife. The bigger picture for nature is more worrying. Whatever statistics anyone believes, it still boils down to making and leaving room for nature in whatever plans are made.

No. My radio listening is done late at night usualy between 1am and 4am to the 'World Service' - although I do have a sneaking like for Radio 4 11am - 1pm on Saturdays. The rest of the time I am usualy working at something or another. I may chance to pick that particular one up on the 'World Service' in due course.

The only answer really is that everyone should do their own small part to promote whatever natural habitats are still left standing and return others to their original state wherever and whenever possible. I have, for instance , three gardens. one is fully cultivated, another partially and the third is left completely alone to be 'natural'. It's amazing what diversity accumulates therein all three. We do what little we can and hope that in due course our species might have the intelligence (and the will) to perpetuate 'all' within a sustainable enviroment. Oh dear - I'm not putting too much money on that one.