DECEMBER 3, 2008: Government indicators just published show encouraging signs for the health of England’s wildlife.
Theeight indicators cover public attitudes to biodiversity, nutrientlevels in rivers and lakes, salmon stocks and the abundance of speciessensitive to climate change.
For the six indicatorswhere there is sufficient data to make a judgement, all show upwardtrends, including an improvement since 2000 in the quality of riversand salmon stocks.
They also show an increase in the number of people volunteering for wildlife and visiting nature reserves and woodlands.
The eight indicators are:
Headline Indicator : public attitudes to biodiversity;Changes in abundance of climate sensitive species; Public enjoyment of woodland in England; Number of visits to nature reserves in England;Volunteer time spent in biodiversity conservation and citizen science activity;Membership of biodiversity organisations in England;Nutrient levels in rivers and lakes in England; andWater and Wetlands Indicator W6: number of rivers in England with sustainable salmon stocks
All 51 indicators and previous assessments are available at: www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-countryside/biodiversity/indicator.htm
