Working towards a Wilder Yorkshire

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By Yorkshire Wildlife Trust

We have strong sense of regional pride and identity in Yorkshire, and this includes our amazing and varied wildlife. For the first time, we now have evidence confirming just how important Yorkshire is for UK species.

The first-ever State of Yorkshire’s Nature report has just been published by Yorkshire Wildlife Trust. This has followed two years of work and analysis by the Trust, in collaboration with the British Trust for Ornithology, the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland, Butterfly Conservation, and the Yorkshire Naturalists’ Union, and with support from Sir John Lawton and ecology Professor Alastair Fitter.

The headlines show that two-thirds of all British species are found in Yorkshire – between 40,000 and 50,000 different species. Some plant species such as thistle broomrape and Yorkshire sandwort are so rare that they are only found in Yorkshire, and we also have England’s only population of dark bordered beauty moths. Yorkshire is home to nationally-significant populations of other species; 35% of breeding British tree sparrows are found in Yorkshire, and 21% of the breeding population of willow tits; the UK’s most threatened resident bird species.

The report also estimates that nearly 2,000 species may have disappeared from Yorkshire over the last 200 years, including 1 in 20 of Yorkshire’s larger moths and plants, and a further 3,000 are at risk of extinction. Over 300 species of birds, plants and moths are ‘Yorkshire Species of Concern’; species which are nationally Threatened, Rare and Declining in Yorkshire, and/or have a large part of their range or population in Yorkshire.

We also know now that Yorkshire’s terrestrial wildlife sites and protected areas are too few, too small and too scattered to form a healthy and resilient ecological network, covering only 15% of the region. Only 1 in 10 of our terrestrial wildlife sites have legal protection, and less than 20% of both protected sites and rivers are in a healthy state.

However, the report also identifies three key habitats where concentrated conservation and restoration efforts will have the most benefit for the largest range of Yorkshire’s species.

Limestone habitats

Almost half of the Yorkshire plants of conservation concern grow on limestone or chalk soils, and more than half of the UK’s limestone pavement and upland limestone grassland is found here, as well as the UK’s most northerly chalk streams – of which there are less than 200 worldwide.

Wet habitats

Yorkshire has seen significant wetland loss through drainage and river canalisation, and less than 20% of rivers in Yorkshire are in a healthy state. Almost half of the plants that have disappeared from Yorkshire grew in wet habitats and some of our most obvious conservation successes are where they have been restored.

Marine habitats

Flamborough’s chalk cliffs and coast around Filey support the largest mainland breeding seabird colony in the country. The Humber Estuary is an internationally-important stop-off for waders, wetland birds and migratory species. The reef habitats at Flamborough are the most diverse in the UK, and the kelp beds there are part of a larger area which soaks up over 1,300 tonnes of carbon a year.

Managing our land effectively for wildlife is key. Our protected sites are important in forming the core components of nature networks, as they can provide strict statutory protection for valuable habitats and the species they support. The network of Protected Areas is at the heart of achieving 30 by 30 - where 30% of land and sea will be protected and managed for wildlife by 2030, yet the current network covers just 15% of Yorkshire. It still plays a vital role in shoring up the leaking dam of biodiversity, but more, bigger, better and joined up activity is needed.

The wider landscape also has a significant role to play, buffering protected areas and providing connectivity for wildlife. Nearly three-quarters of Yorkshire is farmland, and increased demand for food and technological advances mean that much farmland is now intensively managed. The result is a less diverse landscape and much less natural habitat, so adopting more wildlife-friendly farming methods adapted appropriately for the area will be key.

It isn’t just rural areas - urban and suburban areas cover around 10% of Yorkshire, and can hold surprisingly large wildlife populations, including many species that have adapted to live alongside people. Natural habitats survive in many cities but are often isolated and suffer from pollution and heavy human impacts. As a result, increased ‘greening’ of urban areas, from local parks to the smallest gardens, could make an important contribution to biodiversity.

Finally, data and insights from the report is already being used by the Mayoral and Combined Authorities, who are leading the development of Local Nature Recovery Strategies to prioritise action for nature. If done well, Local Nature Recovery Strategies will help to direct funding streams, including funding for farmers and land managers.

It is hoped that this pioneering evidence will be a rallying cry across Yorkshire to encourage organisations, households, businesses and communities to take action for nature – so that in time, we can create a wilder Yorkshire for all.

The report was made possible thanks to a generous donation from the Joyce Mary Mountain Will Trust. Data from the report is available in technical reports published by the Yorkshire Naturalists Union, and the report is available to read at www.ywt.org.uk/StateofNature.

Find out more at www.ywt.org.uk/StateofNature

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