2005 has been a positive year for England’s wildlife and habitats, according to the annual Biodiversity Stocktake released by Defra today.

Biodiversity Minister Jim Knight said the stocktake, compiled by the England Biodiversity Group, showed encouraging process towards meeting the goals set in the England Biodiversity Strategy.

The England Biodiversity Group is made up of major stakeholders from the public, voluntary and private sectors who oversee the implementation of the Strategy.

“This stocktake, taken alongside the most recent scientific data, indicates that our policies and programmes are having an encouraging effect on biodiversity in England,” Mr Knight said.

“We have made some really important progress this year – we now have more than 1 million hectares of land covered by Environmental Stewardship agreements, which means that more and more farmers are being rewarded for farm management that conserves and enhances wildlife and landscapes.

“Farmers in my own constituency of South Dorset have told me of the real, positive difference they have seen in wildlife and the countryside since Environmental Stewardship was introduced. They are particularly seeing more farmland birds, and a greater variety of bird life.

“Our new policy and action plan on ancient and native woodlands will give the best possible future to the forests and woods that provide a home for so many of our animals and birds. We’ve also been working to further integrate biodiversity conservation into planning decisions through a new Planning Policy Statement.”

Mr Knight said that despite improvements and positive trends in many important areas, there was no room for complacency.

“We have a lot of work still ahead of us. We haven’t yet reached our targets in any of these areas, and we can’t afford to relax our efforts to make sure that England’s wildlife is safeguarded and improved for people now and in the future.”

Mr Knight said the report highlighted some of the major challenges in protecting and enhancing biodiversity in the year ahead, particularly in terms of climate change.

“Climate change is having a major impact on biodiversity in England, just like it is around the world, and we can expect that to continue. This year, we saw some very sobering trends, particularly on migratory species at home and abroad. This report highlights the need to increase awareness of this problem and find ways to help our wildlife and habitats to adapt,” he said.

“We also need to build on the progress we’ve made in urban areas, and to focus our efforts on making biodiversity a part of everyday life for businesses and people living in our cities in towns – not just an add-on.”

The stocktake also highlights the improvement in wild bird populations: the most recent indicators show that the 111 breeding bird populations studied have increased by nearly 10 per cent since 1970, which is a major achievement. There have also been major improvements to relatively scarce breeding birds like Dartford Warblers and Woodlarks.

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