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Ask our leaders to take action for UK nature

The latest State of Nature report sparked protests around the UK as it revealed wildlife is still in decline. Will you help us call for more action?

26 October 2023

In September 2023, the latest State of Nature report was published, and the findings made for grim reading. The most comprehensive look at biodiversity in the UK revealed that wildlife is continuing to decline, recording a significant loss of plants and animals.

Among the headline findings is the fact that one in six species face extinction in Great Britain (including the hazel dormouse, pictured above), and that the species studied in the report have declined by an average of 19% since 1970.

Using the report as a call to action, naturalist and presenter Chris Packham organised demonstrations outside government offices on 28 September, the day after its publication.

WWF was among the conservation groups and individuals who joined the Restore Nature Now rallies on the doorstep of Defra offices in London and around the UK.

Defra is the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and protestors called for more action to make farming, fishing and forestry policies more nature-friendly.

Naturalist Chris Packham poses with a large group of scientists, all holding placards at the Restore Nature Now demonstration — **Chris Packham (front row, centre) joined scientists, conservation groups and members of the public to call for the government to implement policies to protect nature**
© KRISTIAN BUUS / GETTY

“The State of Nature report has yet again sounded an alarm bell about the state-of-nature crisis right here in the UK,” said Ben Dempsey, WWF’s Wilder UK Landscapes adviser, at the London gathering.

“Loss of nature is not inevitable. It’s the consequence of our choices. That means we can also choose to bring nature back. The government has signed up to targets on climate and nature, but it is not doing what is necessary to meet them.

“A future is possible where our islands hum with nature, where we meet our climate targets and where people thrive. But it needs leadership. We are here today to demand that leadership before it’s too late. We have to restore nature now.”

This was the fourth State of Nature report published since 2013. The project is a collaboration between over 60 conservation and research organisations, including WWF.

You can read the full report here, and click below to let your MP know that you want the government to do more to protect the UK’s unique wildlife and landscapes.