Wildlife Trusts says monitoring of ancient woodlands, hedgerows and churchyards shows 717 have been lost or damaged between 2009 and 2013

More than one in 10 of England's wildlife sites 'lost since 2009'

More than one in 10 of England’s Local Wildlife Sites have been lost or damaged in the last five years, conservationists say.



Monitoring of 6,590 of the country’s “quiet, unnoticed wild places in which nature thrives” such as ancient woodlands, hedgerows and churchyards revealed that 717 of them had been lost or damaged between 2009 and 2013.

The Wildlife Trusts warn that the figures are just the tip of the iceberg, with many more of England’s 42,865 Local Wildlife Sites potentially under threat, and the latest losses come in the wake of decades of destruction of natural habitats.

Local Wildlife Sites are not protected by law, but national planning rules require local authorities to identify sites for their wildlife value and provide for their protection under local policy.

They provide homes for wildlife ranging from frog orchids and marsh gentians to grass snakes, harvest mice and water voles, give people access to nature in their local area and provide a network of stepping stones and corridors to connect wild spaces.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest A water vole. Local Wildlife Sites are a key habitat for much wildlife in England Photograph: Amy Lewis/Wildlife Trust/PA

Such sites are key to helping rebuild nature and reverse losses in wildlife which have seen 60% of species studied decline over the last half century, the Wildlife Trusts said.

But they warned that the “Cinderella” of England’s natural environment is under threat from increased housing construction, new roads and changes to farm environment schemes that reduced incentives for managing land for nature.

They also raised concerns that austerity measures are threatening the management of publicly-owned sites.

Stephen Trotter, Wildlife Trusts’ director, England, said: “There is a real and pressing need for Local Wildlife Sites - one of England’s largest natural assets - to receive the recognition of their true value to society.

“In some counties they are the best places for wildlife but they continue to slip through our fingers like sand.”

Along with legally-protected wildlife areas, such as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), Local Wildlife Sites support locally and often nationally threatened species and habitats.

In some counties, they are where most special wildlife is found, for example in Wiltshire where three-quarters of broadleaf woodland is in Local Wildlife Sites.

They make up 10% of the land area of Nottingham, and almost a fifth of Greater London, where there are 1,500 such sites, the Wildlife Trusts said.

Some habitats, including wildflower meadows and wet woodlands, have become so rare that the majority of those that are left qualify for the status.

But the Trusts warn that if they are not managed properly they can deteriorate, lose species and become “deselected” as Local Wildlife Sites, which means they lose their protection within the planning system.

A “Secret Spaces” report from the Trusts calls for greater recognition and protection of Local Wildlife Sites, networks of joined-up wildlife sites, targeted government funding for Local Wildlife Sites and a new Nature and Wellbeing Act to help nature recover.