Biodiversity-Strategy-January-2023

21 6.0 The Biodiversity Crisis - Globally and Locally Wild animal populations have fallen by more than two-thirds since 1970 and have continued to decline since 2010. Whilst some species groups have made positive improvements in recent years, most are still declining and show no signs of population recovery. Examples of worrying trends can be seen in declining populations of indicator species groups. An abundance indicator based on nine butterfly species has decreased by 43% since 2006. Additionally, an indicator of average abundance in 36 wintering waterbird species has declined by 25% since 1988, and by 24% over the past 10 years (State of Nature 2019, 2019). 6.1 Consequences of Inaction On the current path, biodiversity and ecosystem services will continue to decline. The decline of biodiversity will risk the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). “In ‘business as usual’ scenarios, this trend is projected to continue until 2050 and beyond, due to the increasing impacts of land and sea use change, overexploitation, climate change, pollution and invasive alien species. These pressures are in turn being driven by current unsustainable patterns of production and consumption, population growth and technological developments. The projected decline in biodiversity will affect all people, but it will have a particularly detrimental effect on indigenous peoples and local communities, and the world’s poor and vulnerable, given their reliance on biodiversity for their wellbeing.” (Global Biodiversity Outlook, 2022) 2 2 Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (2020) Global Biodiversity Outlook 5 – Summary for Policy Makers . Montréal of 2,450 species assessed are threatened with extinction from the island of Ireland Since 1970... more species in the UK have seen their populations decrease than increase: We have seen big changes in where the UK’s wildlife is found: 41% 33% 36% Have decreased Little change Have increased 27% 52% 21% Found in fewer places Little change Found in more places Northern Ireland’s Biodiversity is Declining 11%