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Writer's pictureTamsin Wake

UK Conservation Success Stories

The climate movement can be all doom and gloom (to be fair we’re in a crisis), but we deserve to see what’s going well, to see where we’re making progress. Here are 6 success stories to demonstrate the recovery that nature is capable of making here in the UK. Additionally, I have included some current conservation projects hoping to help restore Britain’s wildlife.


First up: Red Kites

1. By the late 80s red kites had been hunted almost to extinction but thanks to a programme in 1989 which reintroduced birds from Sweden, their numbers began to rise again. There are now approximately 1,800 breeding pairs in Britain and the RSPB say they’re so successful that annual surveys can no longer be carried out!


2. Another bird of prey that has seen a comeback is the osprey. Ospreys were wiped out during the 1800s, predominantly by taxidermists and egg collectors, however, in the 1950s osprey pairs made a surprising return to Scotland, seemingly by themselves. The subsequent RSPB initiative Operation Osprey helped 300 pairs establish homes all over the UK.


3. Pine martens are another species that fell victim to hunting, being ruthlessly targeted due to their preying on game birds. As a result, the Wildlife and Countryside Act of 1981 gave them protected status and now there are around 4,000 pine martens all over the UK and Ireland.


4. Last year, Green MSP Alison Johnstone successfully lobbied to protect Scottish mountain hares. As of June 2020, mountain hares have become a protected species, meaning that they can only be killed with a license. Thanks to Johnstone and her team’s hard work, the mass slaughter of around 26,000 hares per year will end. Their population has declined massively since the 1950s so hopefully we will soon see their numbers rise.


5. After 400 years of extinction in the UK, beavers are returning to the countryside. The first beavers to be reintroduced were illegally released in Tayside, Scotland around 2006. The subsequent mass shootings led to them receiving protected status in Scotland. Following this, a beaver family was released in Argyll in 2009, and most recently, in 2020, individuals were released into the River Otter in South West England. Beavers are a keystone species, which means that they can have a positive impact on their environment - in this case, by improving biodiversity and water quality.


6. An additional 2020 success story is that of the storks in South East England. The first stork eggs hatched there for the first time in over 600 years. This comes after a failed hatching attempt last year by the adult pair. This breeding pair of white storks is part of a wider project to restore at least 50 pairs to South England by 2030.


In addition to these successes, here are some interesting ongoing UK conservation campaigns:


There are plans to reintroduce wild bison into Kent by spring 2022. The herd of wild European bison are the closest living relatives to the ancient steppe bison which was once native to Britain. The aim for this project is to restore the area’s natural habitat. Bison are peaceful animals, and as a keystone species they are capable of restoring their habitat in a unique way. According to WWF, the UK is one of the most nature depleted countries in the world, therefore the reintroduction of keystone species such as beavers and bison is of vital importance.


A more controversial reintroduction plan involves lynxes and wolves. Advocates for this project suggest that these predators would help to control deer populations, however many farmers are concerned about the impact on their livestock. Lynx are solitary animals and while it is estimated that one lynx would kill less than one sheep a year, wolves are pack animals which could cause more problems. Both animals were once native to the UK but vanished centuries ago.


Restoring nature and biodiversity is one of the key ways in which we can avoid climate catastrophe. It is clear that with protection nature can thrive, and it needs our help now more than ever.



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