Sir David Attenborough has warned that “nature is in crisis” and urged people to unite behind action to save it.
The natural historian, who has presented programmes including Planet Earth and The Blue Planet, spoke out as the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the National Trust launched a joint initiative aimed at halting the destruction of nature across the UK.
Launching the Save Our Wild Isles campaign, a joint statement from the chief executives of the three groups said the country’s “amazing wildlife and wild places” were being “destroyed at terrifying speed”.
Speaking after the broadcast of the first episode of his new BBC series Wild Isle – the first set in the UK – Attenborough, a WWF ambassador, said he was still optimistic for the future.
“The truth is, every one of us, no matter who we are or where we live, can and must play a part in restoring nature,” he said. “It’s easy to feel overwhelmed or powerless by the scale of the issues facing our planet, but we have the solutions.
“I am hopeful for the future, because although nature is in crisis, now is the time for action, and together we can save it.”
The campaign highlights rapid declines in native wild species, with figures showing that in Scotland almost half (49%) of bird species have declined in numbers since 1994, and one in nine species are threatened with extinction.
Scottish breeding seabirds are increasingly threatened, with numbers of kittiwakes and Arctic skua falling by more than 70% between 1995 and 2020, while kestrels, curlews and lapwings were all down by more than 60%.
To help tackle the decline in nature, the Save Our Wild Isles campaign is calling on people to “go wild once a week” – which could include planting wildflower seeds, eating more plant-based food or getting involved in community projects.
In a joint statement, Hilary McGrady, the director general of the National Trust, Beccy Speight, the chief executive of the RSPB, and Tanya Steele, the chief executive of WWF (UK), said: “The amazing wildlife and wild places that make the UK so special are being destroyed at terrifying speed. Huge numbers of animals, birds and habitats have been quite literally wiped out in our own lifetimes and we must now accept that without urgent and collective action, our economy, the climate and the stability of future generations living in our wild isles all face a ticking timebomb.”
A poll by YouGov, commissioned for the campaign, found that four out of five Scots (81%) want to see all political parties come together to produce an action plan to protect nature, with 79% backing harsher penalties for businesses whose actions contribute to the decline in nature. Almost three-quarters of Scottish people (71%) said they were worried about the state of nature in Britain. In the UK as a whole, the figure was 76%.
“Saving our wild isles is a massive challenge and we need to act fast, but there is hope,” said Lang Banks, the WWF Scotland director. “The science is clear about what we need to do and there are already amazing people transforming farms, businesses, coasts, urban spaces, transport networks, energy supplies and communities for nature. We just need much more of it.”
Lorna Slater, the Scottish biodiversity minister, said: “Reversing the dramatic losses in nature that we have seen in recent times is one of the defining challenges of our times, so I welcome this important new campaign.”
The UK environment secretary, Thérèse Coffey, said: “Sir David’s indefatigable enthusiasm for the natural world reminds us just how much we have to celebrate – and how much we still need to do to protect and restore nature here in the UK. That is why we put in law the requirement to halt the decline in nature and protect the abundance of species, and why we are committed to increasing the amount of habitat for nature to thrive.
“At the start of the year, I published our comprehensive environmental improvement plan, setting out how we will continue to clean up our rivers, plant more trees and restore our national parks so more iconic species like red squirrels and hedgehogs will have the conditions they need to flourish.
“To protect and restore nature is a truly national endeavour in which we can all play a part. That is why I welcome the call to go wild once a week so everyone – the public, communities, businesses and we in government – can work together to make a difference for nature in this country.”
