This week, the UK Biodiversity Indicators 2025 were published by DEFRA and JNCC. The findings show some sobering results with little improvement to be seen in biodiversity.
The report has been produced every year since 2007, the indicators are used to monitor progress towards achieving both international and national targets such as the Global Biodiversity Framework. The report aims to track whether various categories have declined, improved or plateaued in both long and short term timeframes. The data used in the report is collected by both JNCC and DEFRA themselves as well as almost 100 other collaborating organisations such as volunteers, government departments, researchers and citizen science groups.
Summary of findings:
- Over the long term a small amount of indicators have shown improvement
- Over both the long and short term there are more indicators showing deterioration or no change, than there are showing improvement
- Indicators that have deteriorated over the long term have shown no signs of improvement in the short term
- There are some indicators that have stopped showing signs of decline in the short term leading to hopes long term effects may have stabilised
- The results are a direct reflection of the increasing pressures in biodiversity and on our ecosystems
These findings are a stark reminder that biodiversity is not improving and is still being affected in numerous ways. If we do not allow nature time to heal and replenish we risk losing vital ecosystems and risk further damage to biodiversity. The continued efforts of countless organisations have been vital to aid in protecting ecosystems, repairing habitats and increasing biodiversity, but there is a need for the implementation and enforcement of effective and robust policy and legislation to fully support these efforts.
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