© Environment News Service (ENS) 2000
November 29, 2000 

LONDON, United Kingdom, November 29, 2000 (ENS) - The most comprehensive assessment of the United Kingdom's plant and wildlife habitats has good news and bad.

On the positive side, England and Wales have more lowland ponds and broadleaved woodlands today than 10 years ago. Losses of hedgerows have been halted and rivers are cleaner and support more wildlife.

But Scottish and Northern Irish bogs are suffering and there is less plant diversity in grasslands and road verges across the UK.

Countryside Survey 2000, published today, is included in research being undertaken by the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, part of the Natural Environment Council.

The survey claims to use the most advanced rural research in the world to map changes in the UK countryside over the last decade. Researchers produced Land Cover Map 2000, a series of satellite images showing habitats across the UK field by field.

Changes in the countryside between 1990 and 1998 include:

A halt to the loss of hedgerows in England and Wales.

An increase of 38 percent in plant diversity in arable field boundaries in England and Wales, but a decrease in diversity of at least eight percent in some meadows and road verges, including the loss of plants important to butterflies.

An expansion of broadleaved woodlands by four percent in England and Wales and nine percent in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

A six percent increase in the number of lowland ponds in the UK.

An improvement in the biological quality of small rivers and streams. More than 25 percent of sites across the UK are in better condition and only two percent of sites declined.

An expansion of fen, marsh and swamp, by 27 percent, in England and Wales.

Creation of broadleaved woodlands on formerly developed land exceeded the amount lost to new development.

A fall in the area of semi-natural acid and calcareous grasslands by 10 percent and 18 percent respectively in the UK.

"Countryside Survey 2000 provides a wealth of reliable information, which is a vital tool for managing our countryside and measuring progress," said Environment Minister Michael Meacher. "We also need to keep a close eye on the impact climate change and other human activities might have on our natural habitats.

"This research will ensure that the UK continues to lead the world in making an integrated assessment of the countryside."

This week, the UK government published its Rural White Paper, which outlines its policy on rural communities.

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) welcomed its publication as an important step in the right direction, but is disappointed that more measures have not been included to encourage wildlife sensitive farming methods.

"The needs of those living in the countryside today must be met, without sacrificing a rural future where both people and wildlife can thrive and prosper," said Chris Howe, WWF's senior wildlife and countryside campaigner.

"This white paper is a start down the road to rural sustainability but needs to go further, especially in terms of agriculture and promoting nature friendly farming practices."

Also this week, the Countryside and Rights of Way Bill passed its final parliamentary stages and is expected to become law tomorrow. It strengthens protection of special wildlife sites and secures the conservation and restoration of the UK's threatened species and habitats. Error: Unable to read footer file.