Weather ‘chaos’ a threat to UK wildlife – report

UK wildlife and habitats from butterflies to bogs have been battered by “chaotic” weather extremes driven by climate change in the past year, conservationists warn.

- EMILY BEAMENT

Climate change is accelerating at a “frightening pace’, causing chaos in the UK's weather, and the country is “shockingly underprepared” for the kind of extremes we are now seeing, The Wildlife Trusts warn in a new report.

The past 12 months have seen extreme changes in weather patterns, with the warmest spring on record in 2025 and widespread drought and multiple heatwaves this summer following on from extensive flooding in winter 2024.

Drought and heat extremes have caused peat bogs and heathlands to dry out, while low water levels in ponds, streams and rivers have hit wildlife from trout to swifts and dragonflies, while high wildfire risks have threatened precious landscapes and the species that depend on them.

Many nature reserves cared for by trusts around the country have been hit by flooding following disruptive storms, and extremes of wet weather have hammered species such as butterflies, the report said.

The Wildlife Trusts said they “now treat extreme weather as normal weather” and are taking steps ranging from re-wiggling rivers and reintroducing beavers to create wetlands that can store water in the landscape to restoring peatlands, in order to make British wildlife and habitats more resilient.