Climate Change and Britain’s Threatened Species

Climate Change and Britain’s Threatened Species

by Harriet Rothell-Inch

Climate Change is the greatest global threat to the natural world and biodiversity today. The ever-increasing global temperature and subsequent effects on our ecosystems have led to an alarming number of species being classified as ‘endangered’. In the UK, 41% of our native flora and fauna have faced significant decline since the 1970s, with many facing the risk of disappearing from our shores altogether if serious action isn’t taken. Impact’s Harriet Rothwell-Inch reports.

As the climate crisis worsens, Britain has seen a shift in meteorological patterns, experiencing increasingly frequent heat waves, storms and flooding, the effects of which are contributing to habitat loss and food scarcity for many already threatened species. For example, our beloved seabirds, the puffins.

Puffin numbers are expected to plummet by up to 90% over the next 30 years because of changes to the marine environment. The increased frequency of violent storms is increasing the rate of coastal erosion in the UK, which is a direct threat to the puffins’ cliffside habitat and nesting sites.

Rising temperatures are also changing the life cycle and availability of fish, such as the sand eel, which is coming out of hibernation earlier in the year instead of during puffin breeding season, making it difficult for puffins and their chicks to get enough food and nutrition to survive.

Rising sea temperatures also affect the population of Atlantic salmon in the UK. Atlantic salmon are a vital part of the UK’s freshwater environment, critical to keeping our river systems healthy, yet in 2022, only one-quarter of our rivers had healthy salmon populations – a record low. It’s likely that due to global warming, the streams and tributaries where these salmon lay their eggs are too warm for survival.

One of the most visible impacts of climate change on threatened species in the UK is seasonal shifts caused by changing temperatures. All wildlife have seasonal biological events, such as migrations, breeding, flowering, and hibernations, all relying primarily on cues from changing temperatures yearly. Due to climate change, the seasons are shifting unpredictably. In Britain we are experiencing longer, hotter and drier summers as well as shorter, wetter, and warmer winters.

The extremities of these quickly adapting climates are affecting many species’ ability to synchronise important life-cycle events with essential survival factors, such as the emergence of food sources. This loss of synchronicity is putting some of our most beloved species, such as hedgehogs, at risk.

Since the 1950s, hedgehog numbers have declined by a shocking 95%, and it is evident that climate change is primarily to blame for this shocking statistic. Hedgehogs hibernate during the winter but are known to periodically awake and forage for short periods during warm winter spells. Our warmer winters are increasing the frequency of these winter waking periods.

Due to food source scarcity during wintertime, these adorable creatures are unable to replenish the energy lost during their winter wakings, meaning they have a significantly decreased survival rate.

These seasonal shifts also cause an increasing phenomenon known as a ‘false spring’. This refers to times during late winter or early spring when temperatures become unusually warm before suddenly growing cold again.

This has a devastating impact on native plants that are tricked by the warmer climate into coming out of dormancy early, growing and blooming prematurely in preparation for spring, only to become damaged and perish during a sudden cold snap. These effects are devastating for our local ecosystems, reducing natural habitats and shelter for local wildlife, and nectar and nutrient availability for our pollinators.

The UK is home to 59 species of butterfly and over 270 different species of bees, more of which are joining the endangered species list every day. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) list of threatened species states that as many as 24% of Europe’s bumblebee species are now threatened with extinction. In addition to the threat to their natural habitat, climate change is putting stress on pollinators themselves, as they struggle to cope with weather extremes.

The UK is home to 59 species of butterfly and over 270 different species of bees, more of which are joining the endangered species list every day. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) list of threatened species states that as many as 24% of Europe’s bumblebee species are now threatened with extinction. In addition to the threat to their natural habitat, climate change is putting stress on pollinators themselves, as they struggle to cope with weather extremes.

Heatwaves and subsequent droughts are impacting butterfly numbers because the plants that caterpillars need to feed on are withering and dying in extreme heat. Without this food, caterpillars are failing to thrive, leading to small numbers of butterflies. Also, rapid seasonal changes mean that bees and other pollinators are losing synchronicity with the flowering plants they forage on.

In order to protect these species, we need to do more to protect and restore the habitats they rely on. Bees are vital to our food system, as they pollinate a wide array of crops, including apples, peas, courgettes, pumpkins, tomatoes, strawberries, and raspberries.

If we lose them, not only is our food security at risk, but the biodiversity in British plant life will shrink dramatically, which in turn will put stress on the food supplies of other species that consume these plants.

Interestingly, some species of insects, such as dragonflies and damselflies, are thriving despite climate changes. This is likely because they’re adapting far quicker to the changing climate than others. According to Dr David Roy, Head of the Biological Records Centre at UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH), “rising temperatures are detrimental for some species, but beneficial for others such as dragonflies and damselflies which are mainly tropical insects”. Thus, they are able to adjust to rising temperatures and moisture levels quicker than most. Records show that since 1995 we have gained eight new species of dragonflies!

This isn’t to say that UK dragonflies are completely untouched by the negative impacts of climate change; extreme weather events causing flooding can kill juvenile dragonflies, wiping out larvae before they’ve even hatched, and some species of damselflies have shown a steady decrease in numbers due to their preferred breeding grounds, shallow ponds and bogs, drying out as the climate warms.

It is clear that climate change is a greater threat to Britain’s native wildlife than ever before. Tackling the climate crisis must become our top priority if we are to prevent the extinction of so many beautiful species.

Rewilding Britain states that “nature is our best ally in the fight against climate change”.

We must do everything we can to protect it.