A landmark new study by Natural Resources Wales (NRW) reveals that nearly 3,000 terrestrial and freshwater species in Wales are at serious risk of disappearing — many survive only in five or fewer locations.
The “Species in Peril report” — the first of its kind in the UK — identifies a wide array of endangered life: from colorful insects like the High Brown Fritillary butterfly and Snowdon Leaf Beetle, to fungi, lichens, fish, mammals, birds and amphibians.
Since 2000, Wales has already recorded the extinction of 11 species including the Turtle Dove and the Belted Beauty Moth. The report warns that without swift habitat restoration, climate-smart land management and stronger conservation policies, many more species will vanish.
NRW suggests that many of these losses can still be prevented through relatively low-cost, targeted conservation — like protecting and reconnecting habitats, managing invasive species, and restoring local ecosystems.
Conservationists say this report should serve as a wake-up call for all, especially given Wales’s unique responsibility: many of these species are found nowhere else in the UK. Immediate action could turn the tide.
