Yorkshire Wildlife Trust launches 'Great British Nature Survey'

That's the question the York-based Yorkshire Wildlife Trust is asking in its biggest-ever survey of public attitudes towards nature.

The Great British Nature Survey - which takes about 15 minutes to complete online - asks a series of probing questions about what we think about the natural world, the impact that our activities are having on it - and how we can best protect it.

The aim is to find out how important nature is to us; what we each see as the most significant threats to nature; and whether we feel protecting nature would affect the way we all live our own lives.

The survey has been launched at a time when the wildlife trust says the UK is one of the most 'nature depleted' countries in the world.

A hedgehog: would knowing there was one in your garden make you happy? (Image: Tom Marshall)

It says that in the UK today:

• 53 per cent of native plants have declined due to farming and climate change
• 41 per cent of all wildlife has declined in abundance since 1970
• 26 per cent of mammals, including hedgehogs and water voles, are at risk of extinction

But Yorkshire remains a 'vitally important' home and last refuge for much of the country’s wildlife, the Trust says.

Work by the Trust’s Nature Recovery Committee has revealed that the county supports:

• about two thirds of British plant and flower species
• about 60 per cent of British butterfly and moth species
• about 70 per cent of British breeding bird species

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust chief executive Rachael Bice said: “Yorkshire is a county with a wealth of natural wonders that inspire and capture our imagination, provide health and well-being benefits, contribute to our local economy and provide a critical home for some amazing wildlife.

Brown hare in a field (Image: Andy Rouse)

"Of the plants, birds, butterflies and moths our fantastic county is home to, nearly 300 are species of national conservation concern and around 130 have a particularly large part of their British distribution in our county, making us important custodians.

"Sadly, we carry the label of living in one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world where one in seven species are at risk of extinction.

“This research will provide valuable insights into what people think and feel about nature in Yorkshire. It will also help us to inspire more individuals and communities to join the cause in putting nature into recovery. The more we know about contemporary attitudes to nature, the more we can empower people to help protect it.”

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust’s Great British Nature Survey began on August 11 and is open to anyone living in Yorkshire over the next month or more.

To tie in with the survey, the Trust is running a competition giveaway, where survey respondents can win a copy of the brand-new Discover Yorkshire’s Wildlife handbook.

To take part in the Great British Nature Survey here