50% of Britain, Ireland’s native plants have diminished over 20 years: Study

More than half of native species are believed to be in decline, and introduced species now make up the bulk of plants growing in the wild in Britain, according to the findings of a 20-year research presented on Wednesday.

The primary cause of change, according to the "Plant Atlas 2020" research conducted by the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland, has been a shift in land use, notably "the intensification of arable cultivation" (BSBI).

With volunteers providing over 26 million records, including 3,445 distinct species, the 20-year research is the most extensive ever conducted on UK wild flora.

The survey found that 1,692 of them were native to the UK and 1,753 were non-natives that people had either purposefully or unintentionally released into the environment.

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"This startling finding means that there are now more introduced plants growing in the wild in Britain than natives, with many originating from gardens and then spreading to establish self-sustaining populations," it added.

A comparison with research from the 1950s revealed that native plant species are estimated to have reduced by 53 per cent. Yet, it is projected that the number of recently imported species has grown by 58 per cent.

The research highlighted that the development of arable farming has caused "significant losses of several flora" related to such crops.

The National Farmers' Union (NFU) environment forum chair Richard Bramley said farmers were "committed to enhancing and improving our landscapes".

"In recent decades, farmers have made huge improvements in several areas that this report highlights. For example, more than 10,000 football pitches of habitat have been planted to benefit wildlife such as pollinators," he added.

(With inputs from agencies)

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