Wildlife in crisis

From the bottom of the sea to the top of the tallest tree, there are tales of wildlife woes all over Yorkshire. The good news is that it’s not too late to save what little remains

- Lyndon Marquis

This year, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust carried out the first-ever Great Yorkshire Creature Count, encouraging people all over the county to count the different types of wildlife they saw on their doorsteps over the weekend of the summer solstice.

Though pleasing to see so many people getting to know their wild spaces better, the results brought home some hard truths: much of our most beloved wildlife, which not so long ago would have been a common sight in gardens and local neighborhoods, is suffering.

These results are reflected time and again in local, national, and international surveys. The 2019 State of Nature Report reported that 15% of UK species are at risk of extinction; a major report from WWF revealed that global wildlife populations have fallen by more than two-thirds in less than 50 years; and recent analysis from RSPB announced that the UK has failed to reach 17 out of 20 UN biodiversity targets agreed on 10 years ago, describing it as a ‘lost decade for nature’.

Though many of us are fortunate enough to still see hedgehogs, swifts, and bats in and from our gardens result like those from the Great Yorkshire Creature Count reveal that numbers are dwindling fast. It is difficult to imagine a future where hedgehogs are so rare to be almost completely lost from our shores, but it has happened time and again to many species. Here are four examples of wildlife that were once abundant in Yorkshire, but have now almost vanished completely…

PINE MARTEN