A CAMPAIGN group has called on North York Moors National Park to do more to halt wildlife loss.

The report by Campaign for National Parks said that English uplands are facing a “dire ecological decline”, and that 88.5 per cent of sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs) in the North York Moors are in an unfavourable condition.

Iolo Williams, television presenter, naturalist and vice-president of Campaign for National Parks, said: “The status quo isn’t good enough. National parks need to urgently pull their socks up and turn around the unacceptable loss of nature from the parks. We need landscapes that are alive with people and wildlife, buzzing with invertebrates and busy with bird life.

“Across the countryside we are facing a dire ecological decline. As special protected landscapes, National parks must set an example and lead the way forward.”

The report, titled Raising the Bar, recommends that Government work with the National Park authorities to pilot a “fundamentally different” approach to nature conservation.

“Such a change”, it said, “would move away from the intense protection and management of individual sites for specific species and instead focus on a landscape-scale approach that prioritises the re-establishment of natural, ecological processes.”

The report, published at the end of last month, notes that one issue in implementing pro-nature policy is land ownership. “Unlike the National Parks in the United States of America that are owned by the state,” it said, “in designating the National Parks for the nation the UK government did not acquire the land. 80 per cent of the North York Moors, for example, is privately owned.”

It also notes that, between 2009 and 2016, the amount of land that is farmed in the North York Moors increased 19 per cent, from 77.687 ha to 92,361 ha.

In the same time period, the number of sheep in the park went up 11 per cent to 140,171 animals.

Fiona Howie, chief executive of Campaign for National Parks, said: “There’s an important, mature debate to be had about how to improve nature in our National Parks.

“We know there are examples of fantastic work being done in the Parks to protect wildlife. But as vast tracts of land, and in the face of threats such as climate change, the National Parks need to be doing more for nature.

“The 13 parks face different challenges and we recognise there is not a simple solution to tackling these complex issues. Achieving improvements will require partnership working, especially with land owners, but it will also require vision, ambition and leadership at the national and local levels.

“If we can’t do it in the most treasured landscapes in the country, where can we?”

The North York Moors National Park were approached for comment.

Go to cnp.org.uk to read the full Raising the Bar report.