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How are animals and birds in Wales doing?

While some animals and birds in Wales are doing well others are struggling and for some there isn’t enough data to be able to say anything with certainty. When trying to figure out how species are doing it’s important to look both at how many of them there are (abundance) and how widespread they are. For birds we know that common and widespread birds that breed in Wales have generally become more abundant in the period from 1994 to 2016. Waterbirds that spend the winter in Wales also became more abundant from the 1970s till the early 2000s but since then their numbers have declined. 

If we look at how widespread species are within Wales, on average there has been a 10% decline in their distribution between 1970 and 2015. However, there are large differences between species. While 23% of the surveyed species increased in that period 30% of species decreased. In the short term (between 2005 and 2015) 30% of species increased and 39% decreased in their distribution. In terms of how threatened species are, 13 out of 44 mammals in Wales have been classified as threatened. This includes species such as red squirrels and water voles. Other species such as turtle doves and corn bunting have already disappeared completely from Wales.

The main reasons why some species have declined include changes in land management and conversion from one type of land use to another. Other important threats include climate change, pollution, urbanisation and invasive species.

 

Further information about the state of nature in Wales:

State-of-Nature-2019-Wales-summary.pdf (nbn.org.uk)

The State of Nature 2019 report: 17% of species in Wales are at risk of extinction (senedd.wales)

 

What can you do?

While some things need to be tackled on a national or international scale, there are also many things that you can do at home and in your own local area:

 

 

Links to other pages where you can find more information about things you can do:

Take part | Friends of the Earth

Actions | The Wildlife Trusts

How to get involved - RSPB

 

 

Page last modified: 04 Dec 2022, 20:14