Climate Change and British Wildlife

There is no escaping the fact that the British climate is changing, and the wildlife is changing with it. Warmer and wetter winters, combined with longer summers, have worked to the advantage of some plants such as the rare Lady Orchid and a whole range of insects including butterflies, crickets and dragonflies. Many are moving their range edges northwards, while spring flowers and butterflies are appearing earlier each year. Britain is also hosting new arrivals that come in on the wing, especially dragonflies and damselflies. But it is not all good news. Alpine plants and seabirds--particularly Kittiwakes--are suffering declines as the climate warms.

Britian boasts the longest history of wildlife recording anywhere in the world and is in pole position for studying how climate has influenced our flora and fauna over at least decades, and in some cases, centuries. In this latest volume in the British Wildlife Collection, Trevor Beebee examines the story so far for our species and their ecosystems, and considers how they may respond in the future. For conservationists, coping with habitat loss and the associated species declines has proved challenging enough in the past; now we must also consider ways to tackle the additional pressures that come with climate change.