A new report published by the Wildlife Trusts today is warning that UK nature is bearing the brunt of a chaotic climate – and the Wildlife Trusts say the Government is “shockingly underprepared”.

The Wildlife Trusts’s new assessment of the effects of climate change on nature across the UK - Resilient Nature - shows how 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.

The report reveals that over the past 12 months, whilst the summer was dominated by heatwaves and drought, it has been extreme changes in weather patterns that have been the most damaging overall, with the natural world bearing much of the brunt.

Kathryn Brown OBE, director of climate change and evidence at The Wildlife Trusts, commented:

“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.”

Key findings in the report include:

• Drought and heat extremes have caused important wildlife habitats, such as peat bogs and heathlands, to dry out on 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 Upton Heath in Dorset where nature reserve staff were devastated to find charred birds’ nests among the fire debris in April.
• Unpredictable weather has led to disruptive storm events, with natural habitats unable to absorb sudden, vast amounts of rainfall. When two months’ worth of rain fell in just a few days, multiple Wildlife Trust nature reserves were flooded.

Dan Westbury, Wilder Lugg project officer at Radnorshire Wildlife Trust, said that wildlife has struggled to scratch out an existence in the dried-up sections of the river Lugg. The lowest the river has been in decades, the Lugg is the main tributary of the river Wye.

Zoe Channon, Director of Business Development & Partnerships, Surrey Wildlife Trust expressed serious concern that sensitive river systems, which have been placed under unprecedented pressure thanks to human activity, are now being pushed to the brink.

“Given the scale of risk, UK Government should rethink its whole approach to adaptation"

The Wildlife Trusts' previous adaptation report for 2023/24, Embracing Nature, recommended the new Labour Government take five actions to boost adaptation across the UK in its first few months in office. The Resilient Nature report acknowledges that while there has been some progress, there has been no increase in total investment in adaptation for nature towards the £3 billion/ year that is needed, with Defra’s departmental budget cut in real terms in the 2025 spending review.

The report says:

“Given the scale of risk, the UK Government should rethink its whole approach to adaptation. In particular, we urge them to create new emergency response plans for extreme wildfire, flood, drought and heat, looking at scenarios that consider the impacts already happening in southern Europe. These plans need to include consultation and partnership working with major landholders, including The Wildlife Trusts. We need joined up governance and urgent delivery on adaptation.”

Click here to download the report Resilient_Nature Climate Adaptation Report 2024-25