Despite all the threats to the UK's biodiversity, there have been many success stories.

The large blue butterfly and the red kite are two species that have been successfully re-introduced in the UK. Otters are now found in every county in England and populations of the ladybird spider and lady’s slipper orchid are at their highest levels for 50 years.

Some habitats are also beginning to make a come-back. Large areas of lowland heathland have been re-established and lowland beech and yew woodland, meadows and chalk grasslands have been expanded.

The conservation of these habitats and species involves many organisations and individuals working tirelessly to identify species, assess distribution and monitor habitats, to create protected areas, and to campaign for legislative changes.

Species loss

We have lost over 100 species in the UK during the last hundred years. However, since 2004 the UK government has been implementing the Biodiversity Action Plan that sets out the conservation approach for 1,150 priority species and 65 habitats across the country. There are currently 436 action plans for the UK's most threatened species and habitats.

The list of species that need safeguarding includes lichens, mosses, fish, moths, birds, dormice and bats. The habitats that need protecting include coastal sand dunes, deep sea sponge communities, estuarine rocky habitats, traditional orchards, ponds, rivers and hedgerows.

To read about successful attempts to conserve some of these threatened habitats and species, follow the links below.