New report shows UK nature bearing brunt of chaotic climate

Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust warns: Government is shockingly underprepared.

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 wetlands and heathlands, to dry out on Sheffield & Rotherham 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 at Wyming Brook nature reserve where a wild fire was thankfully extinguished by the fire service before spreading into the adjacent moorland.
• Unpredictable weather has led to disruptive storm events, with natural habitats unable to absorb sudden, vast amounts of rainfall.

Nabil Abbas, Senior Nature Recovery Manager at Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust, says:

“The extremely dry summer this year has impacted directly on the threatened habitats and species which we are working to protect on our nature reserves. At Woodhouse Washlands, for example, ponds and ditches dried out completely and our resident lapwings failed to breed. We have suffered wild fires at Wyming Brook and Greno Woods ‒ luckily all of these were caught before doing major damage, but a big wild fire on any of our nature reserves could be catastrophic for wildlife.

“The persistent dry weather also impacted on our conservation grazing efforts, where we use livestock to help manage and maintain habitats to improve biodiversity. Poor grass growth reduced the time that livestock were able to graze at Blacka Moor and Kilnhurst Ings, for example, and water had to be transported to Ughill Farm for livestock to drink after natural springs ran dry.”

The latest UK State of Climate report⁽¹⁾ made clear that this weather chaos – with more frequent record temperatures, drought, fire and flooding – is now the norm. Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust is hard at work safeguarding the natural world from the worst of climate extremes. Examples include:

• The Greno Woods Resilience project ‒ The Trust has installed leaky dams to hold back water to prevent flooding, as well as improved access and water storage for wildfire prevention.
• The re-wetting project at Wet Shaw Dike at Ughill Farm ‒ The capacity of old field drains was intentionally reduced to slow water flow and retain moisture in the soil. As rivers and fields elsewhere dried out, Wet Shaw continued to hold water, offering a critical refuge for a range of bird species such as curlew, snipe, and lapwing. By creating wet refuges, in dry years, farms like Ughill not only boost biodiversity but also build resilience into their landscapes.
• The Limb Brook Nature-based Solutions Demonstrator project ‒ The Trust has used natural flood management methods like leaky dams, attenuation ponds and tree planting to help store and slow water flows to reduce the risk of flooding in the area and support wildlife. This project was delivered in partnership with the Environment Agency and Sheffield City Council.

​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.”

You can read Resilient Nature here.

1. The latest UK State of Climate report made clear that weather chaos – with more frequent record temperatures, drought, fire and flooding – is now the norm: State of the UK Climate – Met Office