The species at risk of extinction in Wales named in first of its kind report

A new study has revealed thousands of species at risk of extinction in Wales.

The report, “the first of its kind in the UK”, said it identified the country’s rarest species, including the high brown fritillary butterfly and the Snowden leaf beetle, based on how geographically restricted they are. Natural Resources Wales (NRW).

The report found that three thousand species now exist in five or fewer locations, making these species highly vulnerable to habitat loss, climate change and sudden catastrophic events such as storms.

The Welsh government body tasked with preserving and protecting the environment hopes the findings will help focus resources on areas most at risk of species loss for good.

Since the turn of the millennium, Wales has already seen the loss of 11 species; The European turtledove and the belted beauty moth are geographically extinct.

The Endangered Species report warns that others could face a similar fate, including the towering brown fritillary butterfly and the rainbow-coloured Snowdon leaf beetle, the Arctic-Alpine pea mussel, the woolly feather moss and the eyed chestnut wrinkle lichen.

But saving them might not cost the world, according to NRW experts.

“Some of the solutions for these species are incredibly simple,” said Mannon Lewis, who has led strategic projects for the body.

“This is about changing the grazing regime, not cutting our grass, but changing when we cut it, looking at different ways to trim our hedges.

“These are low-cost, simple measures, and now we know exactly where we need to do it.”

The report highlights the role played by both nature reserves and Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in ensuring the survival of plants and animals.

It highlights places such as Newborough Warren on Anglesey, which is home to 130 of the species at risk.

It is a designated national nature reserve of sand dunes and forests, where projects to improve the environment are currently underway.

The steps taken include grazing ponies and opening some sand dunes to natural conditions.

“A lot has already been accomplished,” said Mike Howe, one of the ecologists who helped prepare the new study.

“A few months after some of these bare patches were cleared, we saw insect species that had not been recorded in Newborough for about 10 years suddenly appear in very large numbers.”

Conservationist Tyler Hallman said North Rhine-Westphalia’s approach – particularly linking networks of designated areas and nature reserves – offered a positive way forward and could even lead to the return of species currently extinct in Wales.

“I think there are some great success stories in conservation,” he said.

“The European turtledove is extinct in Wales, but populations in Europe have increased greatly in the last few years, so who knows, it may come back.

“As conditions get better and the species as a whole gets better, you can see things coming back. I think that’s a huge positive; there are things we can do.”