Written by Dr Andrew Smart, Science & Research Manager.
The recently published briefing sounds a bit dull, but Wildlife & Countryside Link members have called on the Government to review the data included in their abundance indicator and provide information to support their choice of the species they use and the impact of adding two new data sets, plants and freshwater invertebrates.
The indicator is really important as it will be used to identify whether the Government is meeting its targets under the Environment Act. The previous indicator (see the graphs included here) suggests that after an alarming decline from the situation in 1970, we currently have species abundance at around 40% of that of 50 years ago and that the indicator is continuing on a downward trend over the last few years.
While we are pleased the Government wants to include more species to the indicator (at the moment there are no amphibians or reptiles included) they should be clear about their choice of species and how the inclusion of particular data sets changes the data.
What we hope for is some new commitments linked to the restoration of biodiversity and the natural environment as outlined in the Labour Party Manifesto: ‘Labour will deliver for nature, taking action to meet our Environment Act targets’.