There is a widely acknowledged global nature crisis, in which species and habitats are being lost at a shocking rate. The UK, and the North Pennines, make up part of that picture of decline and loss.
At least 133 species have been lost entirely from Great Britain, mostly in the last 200 years [1]. This number is almost certainly an underestimate because many species are not assessed, and these losses have not been confined to rare species or those that live in rare habitats. More than a third (35%) of all species have seen their populations decline in England since 1970, and 31% are now found in fewer places than they were in 1970 [1].
There have also been substantial losses of many habitats. The largest twentieth century decline was that of species-rich grasslands, of which 97% were lost between the 1930s and 1984 [1].
The reasons for these losses are complex and varied but the most recent State of Nature report for the UK [1] considers the current under the following headings: agricultural management, climate change, pollution, urbanisation, woodland management, hydrological change and invasive non-native species.
Although some species and habitats which are in decline across the rest of the country still find refuge in the North Pennines , it has not escaped the national trend of overall declines in species diversity and abundance.
The North Pennines’ role as a refuge for some declining species and habitats has the potential to conflict with nature recovery for other threatened wildlife. For example, the precipitous decline of curlew globally and in this country means that those of us working in the North Pennines have a particular responsibility to conserve conditions and habitat for them. That wading birds like curlew still breed in large numbers in the North Pennines is a source of pride to many of us, but in the context of a managed landscape with a highly unnatural predator-prey balance, keeping curlew numbers high might mean keeping tree cover low in some areas. This plan attempts to navigate these potential conflicts.
Future threats from the effects of climate change will compound the threats to nature from some current land-use. To cope with emerging future challenges, policy makers and land managers need to ensure they are building resilience into our environment. This will be achieved through restoring natural processes as well as habitats and species and working towards connections on the largest scales possible.
The restoration of natural processes and the recovery of nature does not mean a literal return to nature in a time gone by. A changing climate and other new challenges mean giving space for nature in the future to adapt and thrive.