Today, The Wildlife Trusts publish their new assessment of the effects of climate change on nature across the UK. The report, Resilient Nature, shows how much-loved species and habitats are faring across The Wildlife Trusts’ 2,600 nature reserves in response to the changing climate and extreme weather over the past year. 

Whilst summer’s headlines were dominated by heatwaves and drought, the report reveals that over the past 12 months it has been extreme changes in weather patterns that have been the most damaging overall, with the natural world bearing much of the brunt.  

Key findings include: 

• Drought and heat extremes have caused important wildlife habitats, such as peat bogs and heathlands, to dry out on Wildlife Trust nature reserves. Low water levels in ponds, streams and rivers have also affected swifts, dragonflies and amphibians.
• High wildfire risk has imperilled precious landscapes, including Upton Heath in Dorset where nature reserve staff were devastated to find charred birds’ nests among the fire debris in April.
• Unpredictable weather has led to disruptive storm events, with natural habitats unable to absorb sudden, vast amounts of rainfall. When two months’ worth of rain fell in just a few days, multiple Wildlife Trust nature reserves were flooded. 

The latest UK State of Climate report⁽²⁾ made clear that this weather chaos – with more frequent record temperatures, drought, fire and flooding – is now the norm. The Wildlife Trusts are hard at work safeguarding the natural world from the worst of climate extremes. Examples include: 

• Hertfordshire & Middlesex Wildlife Trust have worked to reduce the risk of the River Lea flooding, helping to protect local communities as well as supporting wading birds, juvenile fish, dragonflies and damselflies.
• Cumbria Wildlife Trust’s extensive restoration of peatbogs at Drumburgh Moss is slowing and storing water, capturing carbon and supporting wildlife such as white-faced darters, a rare dragonfly which has declined due to loss of peatbog habitat.
• Thanks to Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, 90 hectares of restored floodplain at Manor House Farm is increasing local community resilience to sea level rise whilst providing habitat for overwintering waders and migratory wildfowl. 

​Kathryn Brown OBE, director of climate change and evidence at The Wildlife Trusts, says: “Our new report reveals that climate change is accelerating at a frightening pace, with worrying impacts on wildlife and nature reserves – as well as on human health and our future resilience as an economy. Yet while Wildlife Trust staff and volunteers across the UK race to adapt the way that we care for our land, Government action to address climate change is fast falling behind.  

“The events in southern Europe – where wildfires and floods have imperilled both people and wildlife – should sound the alarm loudly: we are shockingly underprepared for such extremes here in the UK. The UK Government must rapidly undertake a major overhaul of adaptation policy, with increased funding and coordination, in order to tackle this accelerating threat head on.” 

Read the Resilient Nature Report