3. RESTORE THE REST

The progress of 'restoring the rest' is measured against the wider countryside and education.

a) WIDER COUNTRYSIDE

Performance Indicator:

By 2010, there should be a positive trend in the indices for farmland and woodland bird populations, for bats and for butterflies.

FARMLAND AND WOODLAND BIRDS
ASSESSMENT - AMBER/RED (unchanged since 2009)

The latest annual England natural environment PSA (28) indicators on bird populations were published inOctober 2009⁵.  This included information from 1970 to 2008.  The smoothed index for farmland birds (19 species) in England was 52% lower in 2008 than its 1970 level and there was a 2% decrease in the index between 2007 and 2008.  Twelve of the 19 species on the indicator declined between 2007 and 2008 and of those 10 have been in continual decline for the past four years.  The signs of an upturn in the unsmoothed trend in the last year may have just been a blip.  It is hoped that the Campaign for the Farmed Environment (the voluntary replacement for set aside) will be successful and help to reverse this trend.

The smoothed woodland birds index for England (35 species) was 21% lower in 2008 than its 1970 level. The index was unchanged between 2007 and 2008.  The most severe decline occurred in the late 1980s and early 1990s.  The species showing the greatest declines overall are woodland specialists (those that breed or feed mainly or solely in woodland), with lesser redpoll, willow tit and tree pipit declining particularly severely.  However, other woodland specialists such as great spotted woodpecker and nuthatch have increased.

BATS
ASSESSMENT - AMBER (unchanged since 2009)

Trends for 11 of the 17 UK bat species have been assessed using data from 1997-2009.  Significant positive trends were reported for three species, the other eight species showed no clear trend.  Three have shown signs of shifting, but at this early stage the trends are being treated with caution. The Bat Conservation Trust developed a composite index that uses trend data for six widespread species.  In 2008, this led to bats being incorporated into the suite of UK Biodiversity Indicators used to measure progress towards the Government's target of halting biodiversity loss by 2010. These indicators were updated in 2009.

BUTTERFLIES
ASSESSMENT - AMBER (unchanged since 2009)

For butterflies, a composite all-species index of butterfly abundance has been produced (covering 52 species) at a UK level going back to 1976, which can be separated into migrant, (habitat) specialist and generalist (wider countryside) species.  Large fluctuations in numbers between years are typical features of butterfly populations, especially migrant species.  The all-species index has peaked at four to eight year intervals, but the long-term smoothed trend is classed as stable.  The smoothed trend for generalist species is also classed as stable, although some species including speckled wood and comma have expanded northward responding positively to climate change, whilst others including wall brown and small heath have declined in their core range.  For migrants, the underlying smoothed trend is upward, though the increase is not significant due to often large variations in the intensity of immigration from one year to the next.  The situation for specialist butterfly species is less positive, with the smoothed index significantly lower than the period 1976-79 and an overall decline of 22%, highlighting the lack of recovery from drought conditions in 1976 which have been compounded by lack of connectivity in landscape and continued decline in wild flowers as nectar and food-plant resources.

b) EDUCATION

Performance Indicator:

By 2010, all school children should have gained experience of the natural world through out-of-classroom learning as an integral part of school education.

ASSESSMENT -AMBER (upgraded from AMBER/RED in 2009)

There were some positive steps taken by the Government in 2009 towards delivering this target. Unfortunately these are over-shadowed by missed opportunities in the reforms of the primary school curriculum.

The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) consulted on revised health and safety guidance for learning outside the classroom in November 2009. This long expected information will significantly reduce one of the main barriers for teachers and schools taking learning outside the classroom for all pupils.

As part of the England Biodiversity Strategy, and in support the International Year of Biodiversity, Defra and DCSF are producing a booklet for schools to introduce various ways to engage with biodiversity, and the diverse benefits associated with doing so.  This is in support of the DCSF’s National Framework for Sustainable Schools, and is a welcome step in acknowledging the critical role of the natural environment in delivering this framework.

A large number of environmental and sustainability organisations responded to the Government consultation on the reformed primary school curriculum.  As well as asking for specific content to be added relating to ecology and the natural environment, they also called for the curriculum’s core aims and essentials for learning and life to include every child developing the understanding and skills necessary to care for the environment.  None of these recommendations were incorporated within the curriculum, and this represents a significant failure by the Government.

There are always some teachers in schools who will contribute to achieving this target, and find opportunities to do so through the existing curricula.  However, the Training and Development Agency for Schools continues to fail to ensure that every teacher is confident, competent and committed to thoroughly engage with learning outside the classroom and environmental sustainability. This barrier must be addressed if the Government is to successfully meet the education target.

Further assessments:

Stop the Rot
Protect the Best

Full Progress Assessment (pdf)