‘A precarious position’: almost 3,000 species at risk of disappearing from Wales, report finds

Almost 3,000 species ranging from glorious birds to tiny lichen are in peril in Wales because they are clinging on in a handful of locations or even fewer, a groundbreaking report has revealed. The report from Natural Resources Wales (NRW) highlights that since the millennium, 11 species have already been lost to Cymru, including the turtle dove and belted beauty moth. It warns that 2,955 other terrestrial or freshwater species are at serious risk because they are confined to five locations or fewer. The Species in Peril report is billed as the first in the UK to identify the rarest species based on how geographically limited they are. Some of those at risk are beloved creatures and plants such as black grouse and the high brown fritillary butterfly. On the list are 25 bird species, five fishes, six mammals and one amphibian – the natterjack toad. Mammals in peril include five species of bats, such as Bechstein’s bat, confined to the Wye valley in south-east Wales, and the Skomer vole, which lives only on the island of Skomer off the south-west coast. There are also more than 2,000 invertebrates, 309 fungi and 321 lichens on the list. Prof Steve Ormerod, of Cardiff University and NRW, said the climate emergency and agricultural intensification were key pressures in the wider environmental crisis. But he said that in the case of species with very restricted distribution, the pressures were often more local: woodland management in which trees or deadwood were lost, changes to water levels in peatland or pollution in ponds, lakes or streams. Related: Can mountain lions make a comeback in the US north-east? One group hopes so “This report is a stark reminder that nature in Wales is in a precarious position – both in the large number of species in peril, and in the trajectories they display,” said Ormerod. But the report includes a glimmer of optimism. It says for most species in peril, safeguarding and enhancing of populations comes at relatively little financial cost. It says it could be achieved, in many cases, by tweaking existing management such as strimming vegetation to provide more open conditions. Ormerod said: “We can glimpse hope through the conservation actions under way: scrub clearance, the remobilisation of sand dunes, positive habitat management for invertebrates, captive rearing and release, enhanced biosecurity on islands.” One example of a relatively simple change that has proved beneficial is the introduction of goats to graze at Stanner Rocks in Powys, which is helping preserve plants such as the Radnor lily. Of the 2,955 species the report highlighted, almost half – 1,262 – are restricted to single locations. It flags up some remarkable conservation hotspots, such as Newborough Forest and Warren on Anglesey (Ynys Môn), which is supporting 130 species judged to be in peril. Analysis shows that woodland, parkland and scrub is the most important of the ecosystems for species in peril, with nearly a third (1,076 species) restricted to this ecosystem, followed by grassland (531) and peatland (356). Mary Lewis, the head of natural resource management policy at NRW, said: “This report makes it clear that we aren’t simply at risk of seeing species going extinct in Wales, it’s already happening. As a country, we need to take the threat seriously. “Despite this sobering reality, it’s encouraging that we can do a lot to protect these species through surprisingly modest investment and changes to how we manage our landscapes. With three-quarters of these species on protected sites, we have the framework to act.”