It’s a labour of love – but it makes for stark reading. The decline of our beautiful native plants is heartbreaking and has consequences for us all. The loss of natural habitats due to modern farming methods over the last 70 years has been an unmitigated disaster for wildflowers and all the species that depend on them including insects, bats and birds.

So called ‘improved’ grassland is actually ruined grassland – over-fertilisation and re-seeding of the countryside has obliterated native plants. Successive governments have used taxpayers’ money to subsidise farming practises that destroy nature.

But it’s not too late to stop this catastrophe – the Government must make sure that their new farm environment schemes do what was originally promised and reverse the decline of nature in our agricultural landscape. They must also increase protection for Local Wildlife Sites and deliver on the promise the Government made at the UN biodiversity summit in Montreal last December to halve nutrient pollution by 2030.

The main reasons for the huge declines in native plants are:

• Changing farming practices: re-seeding of traditional grasslands, over fertilisation of grasslands, increased use of marginal land for food production, a shift from hay to silage production, wetland drainage, conversion of heathlands and blanket bogs to rough grazing, changing livestock stocking levels, leakage of agricultural chemicals into wetlands, water bodies and water courses, more chemical use and greater mechanisation.
• An increase in nutrient levels in all habitats, for example, from increased fertiliser
• More development of homes, buildings, roads and other infrastructure
• An increasing extent of non-native coniferous forestry plantation as well as spread of invasive non-native species
• Climate change is likely to be the primary cause of the declines of some mountain plants that depend on areas where the snow lies late in the spring and summer. These include Alpine Ladyfern, Alpine Speedwell and Snow Pearlwort.

Strong policies are needed to reverse the huge declines in native flora, including:

• A revamped Countryside Stewardship: Native plants across the British Isles are hugely diverse, with regional and local variance playing a big part in the biodiversity of our flora. Therefore, it is critical that new developments in the Countryside Stewardship scheme rewards farmers for restoring locally distinctive natural habitats where wild plants can thrive.
• Greater support for wildflower meadows: Policies have driven the intensification of farming at the expense of nature. The development of new farm environment schemes across the UK is a chance to support farmers to use fewer pesticides and to maintain and restore wildflower-rich grasslands which offer fantastic benefits for biodiversity and climate resilience.
• Stronger support and protection for Local Wildlife Sites (also known as County Wildlife Sites or Sites of Interest for Nature Conservation): Many of these have been recognised or designated because of the rare and threatened plants that are found there but they have limited protection in planning policy. The next review of National Planning Policy later this year must see their protection strengthened.
• Reducing the impact of non-native species: increased focus on tackling invasive species such as New Zealand pygmyweed and also on restoring native woodlands instead of planting non-native forests. Forestry sites must be carefully chosen to avoid damaging important peatland habitats and species rich grasslands.
• Increased opportunities for children to learn to love plants: develop pro-environmental behaviours through high-quality teaching and learning about the natural world, and statutory guidance for teaching establishments on importance of time spent learning in, and about nature.