Today, The Wildlife Trusts publish their new assessment of the effects of climate change on nature across the UK. 

The report, Resilient Nature, shows how much-loved 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.

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

Key findings include:

Drought and heat extremes have caused important wildlife habitats, such as peat bogs and heathlands to dry out on Northumberland Wildlife Trust’s Whitelee nature reserve in North Northumberland. 

Low water levels in ponds, streams, and rivers on a number of its have also affected swifts, dragonflies, and amphibians. The pond on the wildlife charity’s St Nicholas Park reserve on the outskirts of Newcastle totally dried out in July and August.

As with previous years high wildfire risk has threatened precious landscapes, including the Trust’s Prestwick Carr reserve in Northumberland which blazed and smouldered for several days in June 2023.

The latest UK State of Climate report ⁽²⁾ made clear that this weather chaos - with more frequent record temperatures, drought, fire and flooding - is now the norm. Northumberland Wildlife Trust is hard at work safeguarding the natural world from the worst of climate extremes. Examples include:

Duncan Hutt, Northumberland Wildlife Trust Director of Conservation says:

“This 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.”