The biggest threat to biodiversity, is the loss of our natural habitats and the fragmentation of existing habitats into smaller pockets.
To meet the demands for our increasing human population, has required us to replace natural habitats with land that is used for agriculture, housing, leisure activities, commercial units and industrial complexes.
Other key threats to our native biodiversity, besides pollution and climate change (whereby many species do not have time to adjust), is the presence of invasive non-native species. A few have become known as ‘invasive’ as they thrive and out-compete our native plant and animal life, for example, Grey Squirrel, Giant Hogweed, Himalayan Balsam and Japanese Knotweed.
Further introduced species have been found to carry diseases against which our ‘natives’ do not have a natural defence. This includes the importation of ash trees from outside Europe, which carry a fungus called Ash Dieback.
Download the Local Biodiversity Action Plan