Britain's wildlife is in dire straits

Britain’s wildlife is facing a “crisis” with more than 120 species at risk of extinction due to intensive farming, a report will warn. Hundreds of the country’s best-known animals - including types of woodpecker and butterfly - will have an uncertain future with some disappearing completely as their numbers decline rapidly, the State of Nature 2016 report will say. Sir David Attenborough, writing in a foreword for the report, is expected to label the drastic changes a “crisis”. The report, which will be published on September 14 and includes research from experts across 53 wildlife organisations, will point to agricultural policy as one of the aggravating factors. It comes after an initial report into the state of the country’s wildlife was published three years ago. The new document is expected to provide an update as well as further information following an assessment into the status of 4,000 species. Richard Gregory, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds's head of species monitoring, who is leading the project, told The Sunday Times the biggest threat “by far” was the “steady intensification of farming, which leaves no room for wildlife and is driving many species towards extinction”. He added: "We assessed 1,118 farmland species, including birds, mammals and plants, finding that 123 are facing extinction in the UK, which is a terrible statistic.”
Source: The Telegraph, 21 August 2016
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/08/21/britains-wildlife-crisis-wit…