There's Sill Time

For several years now, about 25 of the most prestigious wildlife conservation organisations in the UK have publish a seminal document entitled ‘State of Nature’.  Each year the report brings more bad news, and as usual, this year's report made sober reading, and its message was again clear. Since the industrial revolution we’ve decimated our wildlife, and the situation is now critical. The report catalogued the decline of pretty well all types of wildlife, and provided accurate figures of the extent of the losses. There have been a few successes such as the programme of introduction of the red kite, and the way in which otters have recovered as a result of cleaner rivers. But the overall picture is of catastrophic decline.

The report had a section devoted to each country of the UK, and I read that Wales had fared worst of all. I’m reminded of this on my local path this morning where, in warm sunshine, I find just three butterflies in half an hour. With such a diversity of wildlife habitat, we should have fared better on Gower, but I know this is not the case. It’s not difficult to remember the rich wildlife we had here four decades ago, and to realise that Gower has followed the national trend.

Superficially everything looks fine; there are flowers and insects, and birds continue to sing, but anyone with a rudimentary knowledge of the countryside can see that all is not well. The problem is perhaps most notable on our commons. Years ago the skies were full of skylarks and meadow pipits, there were reed buntings, stonechats and always kestrels. It’s not like this any more. It’s the same at Oxwich Marsh, and most Gower woodlands are much quieter these days.

We mustn’t despair, it's still possible to turn things around, but time is running out. Our generation let this happen, we must teach our children to put things right.