Sir James Bevan, Chief Executive at the Environment Agency is warning of a ‘silent spring’ for wildlife if warnings are ignored and urges action ahead of the UN Convention of Biological Diversity in Canada in December 2022. A third of British pollinator species have declined with a fifth of UK plants threatened with extinction.

A new Environment Agency report has laid bare the scale of change needed to halt England’s biodiversity and climate crisis. The ‘Working with Nature’ report sets out how significant changes will be needed to how land is used in England, with the need for significant landscape scale interventions and the use of nature-based solutions to help wildlife recover, and for humans to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change.

Compiled by Environment Agency scientists, the report sets out the global challenges facing the basics for life on Earth - clean water, climate regulation and food. It describes the potential loss of complex natural ecosystems that provide such essentials as an existential risk to human survival.

EA Chief warns ‘silent spring’ awaits humanity unless action is taken

Referencing Rachel Carson’s 1962 book Silent Spring, considered by many to be the most important piece of environmental writing of the 20th century, Sir James was speaking about the ‘silent spring’ that awaits humanity unless action is taken by businesses, government and individuals to prevent further damage and rebuild the natural environment.

The Environment Agency Chief Executive’s stark warning came in a major speech yesterday launching the report at an event hosted by the Green Alliance, ahead of the COP15 Biodiversity Conference taking place later this year.

Internationally, the G7 leaders have committed to the global mission to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030. The COP 15 meeting of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in 2022 will review the progress towards previously agreed Biodiversity targets.

The report paints a frightening picture of the decline in the country’s biodiversity and wildlife and the current position, including:

• Species-rich grasslands such as meadows have decreased in extent by around 97% since 1930. Lowland heathlands now cover only 20% of the area they did in the 19th century.
• Severe loss of wetlands - 99.7% of fens, 81% of grazing marshes and 44% of lowland bogs
• Ancient trees: up to 70% of remaining ancient woodlands have been deforested or damaged, mostly during the past century.
• Shocking decline in plants and animals - 41% of species have decreased since 1970 and 15% of all native species in the island of Britain are now threatened with extinction.
• Decline in butterflies and moths since 1970 - a decrease in average abundance by 16% and 25% respectively
• One third of pollinator species have declined
• Water and wetland birds have declined by 14%, woodland birds by 25%, and farmland birds by 55%
• Third of farmland specialist species that depend on a narrow ecological niche, like grey partridge, turtle doves, tree sparrows and corn buntings - have declined by more than 90% since 1970
• Hedgehog numbers have fallen by approximately 66% since 1995 and water voles by 78%.
• Overall, a quarter of mammals in England are now threatened with extinction and 18% of plants and 15% of fungi and lichens are at risk of extinction in Great Britain.

“England is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world due to long history of industrialisation and land use changes"

Sir James Bevan told attendees:

“The biodiversity crisis joins the climate crisis as an existential risk to our survival, but as this report sets out the solution is not to retreat but to work together to build a nature-positive response.

“Nature provides the basics for life - clean water, clean air and food. With major pressures on land use across England, nature-based solutions must be a major part in our response to protect these essentials whilst rebuilding our natural world.

“England is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world due to its long history of industrialisation and land use changes over millennia. Large areas of habitats have been lost with 99.7% of fens, 97% of species-rich grasslands, 80% of lowland heathlands, up to 70% of ancient woodlands and up to 85% of saltmarshes destroyed or degraded.

“The impacts on species have also been severe, with a quarter of mammals in England and almost a fifth of UK plants threatened with extinction……

“So there are a range of factors in the nature crisis we are now witnessing. They all, however, have one thing in common: they are down to us, the humans.”

Nature in England has also been impacted by pressures on land use. The report sets out the impact of the last 50 years of agricultural production and points to the likelihood of a need of further intensification and increased yields from agricultural land. It also charts the impacts of urbanisation, forestry and the need for large areas of land for climate change mitigation.

To address the major declines in biodiversity that will only be accelerated by a changing climate, the report sets out a need for more land to be dedicated to nature conservation to act as refuges for nature and to mitigate against climate change – such as coastal wetlands to combat flood risks. However, with such demand on land, it will need to provide multiple benefits to people and nature.

The Environment Agency has a leading role to play in restoring or recreating new wildlife-rich habitat in England. Recent projects include peat restoration at Great Fen, Cambridgeshire, which will save 325,000 tonnes of CO2 from being released each year while restoring habitats for threatened fenland species and protecting surrounding towns, villages and farmland from the risk of flooding after heavy rainfall.

The report identifies such nature-based solutions as a crucial tool in restoring nature and achieving multiple other benefits. By working with nature, including tree planting, peat restoration, species reintroductions and natural flood management, it suggests there are opportunities to restore biodiversity, whilst providing other benefits such as carbon sequestration, flood protection and clean and plentiful water.

The report also says action will also be required to address the levels of consumption in wealthy countries, which contribute to the loss of biodiversity, and that sustained effort will be required from many people and organisations at forums like the COP 15 meeting of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity to tackle the effects of global consumption, production and supply chains.

Call for action at national level - Environment Agency is playing its part

 Sir James concluded his speech with a call for action at a national level, telling his audience that the Environment Agency is playing its part.

He said:

“We protect species and the habitats on which they depend. Example: our work to ensure that the abstraction of water (which we regulate) does not damage wildlife or habitat – and when we think it will, we are reducing or in some cases stopping that abstraction by adjusting or turning off the licences that allow it.

“We create and restore habitat: over 1,100 hectares last year (2021/22). We use our role as a statutory planning consultee to ensure that new developments don’t damage the environment, and we are influential: almost all planning decisions (over 98%) are in line with our advice.

“We are tackling the pollution that hits our wildlife, including by reducing the amount of air pollution from the industries we regulate. We are improving our waters on which so much of nature depends: we enhanced over 1,500 kilometres of rivers and streams last year. “

We are tackling the climate crisis, by regulating down most of the emissions that cause it, by helping people and nature become more resilient to its effects by building flood defences and by helping planners, developers and communities create better and more resilient places. And we are increasingly using nature-based solutions as the default.”

The Environment Agency has an annual budget of around £1.4 billion and employs over 10,000 staff. Its remit is to protect and improve the environment in England.

Five days ago MPs on two parliamentary committees – Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, and the Environmental Audit Committee - approved the appointment of Alan Lovell as the new Chair of the Environment Agency.

The committees also said they were also encouraged by Mr Lovell’s commitment only to proceed with any restructuring of the EA after having identified any improved environmental protection that such a restructuring would deliver.  

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