ABSTRACT
Habitat loss has been acute in lowland England during the 20th century. It has been the chief focus of conservation action from the 19th century, when the two largest British voluntary conservation organizations were founded: the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest and Natural Beauty (the National Trust), and what became the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) (both during the 1890s; Sheail, 1976; Evans, 1992). 1 Habitat loss was particularly rapid during the second half of the 20th century. Agriculture caused massive changes in the British countryside, both during World War II (the fruit of the county agricultural committees and the wider spirit of the ‘Dig for Britain’ campaign) and from the 1950s onwards (as agricultural intensification took hold, with fewer, larger and better capitalized farms). The impacts of these changes in biodiversity were considerable, although, clearly, scientific records before the late 19th century are fragmentary. Some 3500 species are listed in national Red Lists; the number would be over 5000 if such studies were available for all taxonomic groups. Many species are declining in numbers or range. A number of species are confined to a very few sites where ecological conditions are suitable. They are hugely vulnerable to ecological change. 2
