Agricultural land accounts for around 75 per cent of the UK's land area. The country used to have large areas of wild woodland but much of this has been cleared to make room for farms, houses, and roads. Since the Second World War, an estimated 97 per cent of Britain's ancient meadows and 50 per cent of its ancient, natural woodlands have been destroyed. In the Scottish Highlands, there used to be 1.5 million hectares of native pinewood. Now only about one per cent of this remains. More than 300 of Britain's plant species now face extinction.
Wildlife in the UK includes deer, badgers, foxes, squirrels, rabbits, small rodents - including the water vole and the tiny shrew, as well as a variety of birds. There are many protected animal species, including the otter. Populations of otter are now beginning to expand having previously faced extinction due to increased levels of pollution and destruction of their habitat in the years immediately following the Second World War. Of the UK's 15 bat species, two are at severe risk and others are increasingly rare. For example the greater horseshoe bat has suffered a 99 per cent reduction in its numbers during the twentieth century.
An increase in road-building, and changes in farming practices, including the use of pesticides, threatens many of the surviving species. Farming has become more intensive and industrialised since the Second World War. Farm woodlands, hedges, trees, streams, ponds, ditches, tracks, and verges - very important features for wildlife - have declined as a result of intensive farming. This has caused widespread damage to wildlife habitats, threatening butterflies, birds, mammals, and plants. Some small-scale farmers have begun to use organic (chemical-free) methods which provide a range of benefits for the nation's wildlife.
In terms of consumption, the UK generates a great deal of waste - including more than six billion drinks cans and 12 billion food cans every year. In recent years some people have got involved in recycling activities as well as trying to reduce the amount of waste they produce in the first place. There are lots of things that you can do in your own home and garden, in order to help protect the environment.
recycling
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| Bottle bank for recycling glass |
Each year people in the UK use more than six billion drinks cans, 12 billion food cans, 1.7 million tonnes of glass, and an average of two trees worth of paper each. In 1996 almost 25 million tonnes of household waste was generated in England and Wales.
Some people recycle their waste. Recycling is the processing of waste or rubbish back into raw materials so that it can be made into new items. This benefits the individual, the community and the planet. For example, people can buy fewer disposable items and more that have a longer life-span. They can also re-use products - use the same carrier bags for shopping, buy refillable items, and repair products instead of buying replacements.
About nine per cent of household waste is incinerated - but this disposal method can create pollutants, including the gases that cause acid rain. Acid rain damages the environment and threatens people’s health. Recycling waste helps to avoid these problems. For example, recycling aluminium cans and foil saves 95 per cent of the energy required to produce new aluminium. Recycling these, and paper and glass, also reduces the need for raw material extraction, which often causes widespread environmental damage - and it also reduces the need for landfill space and incinerators.
things you can do to help protect the environment
in the garden ...
in the home ...
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| Newspapers, bottles, and cans can all be recycled |
Photos for Oxfam GB by Crispin Zeeman (1st and 3rd), Crispin Hughes (2nd), and Corinne Welch (4th)
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