This report, launched today by David Attenborough, doesn't actually tell us anything that we don't know already. Once-common species such as hedgehogs and house sparrows have declined dramatically over the last thirty years or so. We have fields devoid of wildflowers, woodlands that are no longer filled with birdsong and summer gardens without the hum of bees.
As someone who has observed nature since childhood, it is something that I have been acutely aware of: I miss spotted flycatchers, grey partridges and skylarks. I now have to make a special trip to Paxton Pits in Cambridgeshire to see and hear turtle doves.
Biodiversity - and its loss - may be seen as something only of concern to naturalists like myself, but actually the whole problem is linked to the unsustainable way in which we manage our environment, in particular the way we produce food. The documentary below is EXCELLENT and really demonstrates well the links between a healthy soil, biodiversity and ultimately our ability to feed ourselves sustainably.
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