Bottom 10% in the world in bio-diversity

Not what most on the News & Politics thread would believe but this was in the Guardian.
www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/may/26/eu-farming-policies-bird-population

How farming changes depends on how much food you want produced in the UK, we could have no food production and have the whole of the UK wilderness. I don’t think too many of us would want that so there has to be a balance, some areas for food others for habitat.
I live in a semi rural area, farms, fields, woodland, hedgerows we have a wide range of farmland and garden animals and birds. My only comment is, we would have a lot more if there were less predators, Magpies, Crows, Birds of Prey, Badgers, foxes and domestic cats.
Farms are much tidier these days, grain and feed has to be kept in closed areas to comply with food hygiene and Farm Assured regulations, so there are less opportunities for birds feeding. Farms have been increasing the areas of habitat over the years and the new farm payments scheme will increase those areas.

MerylStreep

Not what most on the News & Politics thread would believe but this was in the Guardian.
www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/may/26/eu-farming-policies-bird-population

Just read the link, then noticed it was nine years old!

GrannyGravy13

It might be helpful if the OP could give us a link to her source?

Well apart from listening to this on R4 today, my primary source is my son - an environmental scientist who works very closely with the various agencies like natural England, RSBP etc etc

He is at the moment involved in reintroducing wetlands to try to increase bio- diversity by buying land from a farmer.

I listen to all these sources as well as being aware from these folk, just how much we are beginning to be affected by climate change.

Yes housing is a big issue, but not the primary reason.

The thing is, the foods got to come from somewhere. Or the populations got to decrease. Or some people have to starve.

Rewilding farmland in the UK just means somewhere else in the world has to step up production. Less biodiversity for them.

Still haven’t said what your solution is?

Whitewavemark2

GrannyGravy13

It might be helpful if the OP could give us a link to her source?

Well apart from listening to this on R4 today, my primary source is my son - an environmental scientist who works very closely with the various agencies like natural England, RSBP etc etc

He is at the moment involved in reintroducing wetlands to try to increase bio- diversity by buying land from a farmer.

I listen to all these sources as well as being aware from these folk, just how much we are beginning to be affected by climate change.

Yes housing is a big issue, but not the primary reason.

Thank you for answering Whitewavemark2

DH has got several friends who are farmers and they are/have planted hedges, woodlands and one who has a low lying part to his land has stopped draining and it's surprising how quickly birds returned.

I live within walking distance of the Thames, and along the Thames Estuary (outside of central London) there are wetlands and bird watching stations with many varieties of birds, which is probably the reason we have so many birds visiting our garden, all are welcome (apart from the very noisy, messy and aggressive seagulls)

One of the things that annoys me is the amount of land that is taken for roads and, especially, the junctions which spread over large areas. I know that some of the spaces between the roads are open for wildlife and plants, but they aren't ideal.

Then, to make matters worse, they don't return the redundant roads to farmland, just leave them alongside the new roads, so that the areas of tarmac just continue to expand.

Then there are all those people who completely pave over their gardens or cover large areas in fake grass.....

Not depressing - just a result of UK being (1) geographically a small country and (2) a very densely populated country. Considering our size and population we do well.

sandelf

Not depressing - just a result of UK being (1) geographically a small country and (2) a very densely populated country. Considering our size and population we do well.

As we are on the bottom 10% in the world, I’m not sure we could do much worse

Still waiting to hear what you think should be done about it, Whitewavemark ?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-57655098
There are loads of reports about this online.

Peasblossom

Still waiting to hear what you think should be done about it, Whitewavemark ?

OK, but it is an enormous subject.

So first let’s start with the way pesticides degrade our soil and our waterways.

Pesticide gets into our water in a number of ways
Run off from farmers spraying fields.

Government has evidence that pesticide levels exceed what is considered safe in our water courses and ground water used for drinking.
Pesticide degrade our water courses leading to bio- loss at every level.

Soil x pesticides =loss of biodiversity. Soil which has not been subjected to pesticide has a greater variety and more plant growth which helps in water run off and flood management.

Crop yields - nitrogen fixation is necessary for many crops. This is degraded by pesticide and results in lower crop yields

Honey bees - I’m sure I don’t have to spell that out

Application of pesticide eliminates some plants on which animals survive, many will starve to death or have to move to another territory.

Birds are poisoned and killed by eating invertebrates that have absorbed pesticides.

Aquatic life is killed in the same way.

That gives you a flavour of what pesticide use leads to.

I could go on looking at other areas but won’t as I think it is probably all out there for you to read about. If you so wish.

Absolutely. But you’re advocating treating the symptoms not the cause.

Stop using pesticides. Accept that crop yields will fall or even fail.

Accept some people will go hungry?
Accept food will have to come from other countries that still use pesticides and have a surplus?
Accept that the human population has to fall to make room for other species?

Which will you choose?

So by voting with our feet/purse and buying only organic fruit veg and meat that will help send a message to the farmers.

Peasblossom

Absolutely. But you’re advocating treating the symptoms not the cause.

Stop using pesticides. Accept that crop yields will fall or even fail.

Accept some people will go hungry?
Accept food will have to come from other countries that still use pesticides and have a surplus?
Accept that the human population has to fall to make room for other species?

Which will you choose?

I would be quite interested in the evidence that supports your argument.

I would argue the reverse. Use of pesticide is the cause?

The report says it has happened over centuries, and we are in the bottom 10% of the G7 countries.
The UK used to have a huge array of biodiversity, including the European brown bear, but this has been steadily stripped away © Erik Bundgaard

Having very limited space with an ever-increasing population has not helped.
The number of songbirds which are caught in nets on their flight to the UK each summer is not helping either - millions are caught every year and the EU has not stopped this.
Millions of birds are caught by domestic cats each year - one reason I would never own a cat.

On the positive side, we are more aware now.
Farmers are leaving strips alongside fields to encourage wildlife. People are rewilding parts of their gardens ( plenty of evidence round here when we went out yesterday or perhaps they just couldn't be bothered!).
The Authorities around here will not allow building, roadworks etc without a scientific study and if a site is of SSI then work may not begin.

HS2 should never have been allowed to go ahead just for the convenience of a few commuters.

Ban the use of peat.
It absorbs CO2 and is a natural carbon sink, locking it away.

Whitewavemark2

So by voting with our feet/purse and buying only organic fruit veg and meat that will help send a message to the farmers.

Far too expensive for many people.

I have seen documentaries on how a lot of farmers are leaving certain strips of land, or whole fields to become meadow and are starting to introduce hedgerows.
Given the small size of our island and enormous population we cannot expect to do well in any bio-diversity league.
.....and if brown bears are reintroduced I’m never leaving home!?
Red kites and wild boar are already roaming my area.

Callistemon

Ban the use of peat.
It absorbs CO2 and is a natural carbon sink, locking it away.

I think the ban on peat composts is already in operation, or will be soon?

The peat ban doesn't come in till 2024.

I wasn’t sure of the date, but thought it was going to happen.
Perhaps that date is to sell all peat based products already in stock?

That’s on selling it in England. Idk what happens in Scotland where they have a peat extraction business supplying mushroom farms. Presumably NS will do something about that and they will have to use an alternative.

Red kites and wild boar are already roaming my area.

Lots of wild boar near here and if you've ever been surrounded by them, it is rather frightening.
Wolves are being re-introduced in Scotland, I think.

There are so many conservation projects happening in this country too.

So by voting with our feet/purse and buying only organic fruit veg and meat that will help send a message to the farmers.
We know people who are organic farmers and we know others who are not but do their very best to limit the amount of chemicals they use to the minimum.
One organic farmer we know sells through local shops, market stalls as a lot of her produce is not up to the standard which the supermarkets demand.

Supermarkets need to stop rejecting flawed but edible produce.