By Abdullahi Lukman
The UK’s ecosystems continue to deteriorate or show little sign of recovery, according to the latest national biodiversity indicators, which track progress toward domestic and international conservation targets.
The 2025 indicators, published by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, draw on data from around 100 organisations, including government bodies, research institutes, conservation groups and citizen science programmes.
Scientists at the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) contributed to the report by analysing long- and short-term trends in animal and plant populations.
The indicators assess whether species groups are improving, declining or remaining stable, both since monitoring began and over the past five years.
The findings show that many species continue to decline over the long term, with limited evidence of overall recovery.
Data from the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme, run by Butterfly Conservation, indicate that 31 of 59 monitored butterfly species have declined since records began in 1976.
However, researchers say there are early signs that some declines may be slowing. Several indicators that show long-term deterioration have recorded little change in the past five years, suggesting a possible stabilisation in certain species groups.
Ecologists involved in the report emphasised the critical role of volunteers in collecting the data used to produce the indicators, noting that without citizen science contributions, assessments of biodiversity trends would be severely limited.
Scientists also highlighted ways the public can support wildlife, including taking part in monitoring schemes, creating small habitats such as bug hotels, and making gardens, window boxes or shared green spaces more wildlife friendly.