The UK is considered to be one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, for example with 133 UK species having gone extinct since the 1500s, and 41% of UK species declining since the 1970s. In the current day, 15% of the UK’s native species are at risk of extinction (including 26% of mammals) (State of Nature report, 2019).

These photos showcase recovery and conservation work in the Yorkshire Dales by the World Wide Fund for Nature and the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, in collaboration with the company Aviva through its paid volunteering leave scheme. The volunteers replant tree and shrub lines as part of a bigger environment project to restore 1,200 hectares of land across the Yorkshire Dales. Their objective is to reconnect patches of habitat that have been fragmented over time, to help wildlife move more freely across the landscape.

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Source: Hayhow, D.B., et. al. (2019) The State of Nature 2019. The State of Nature partnership. https://nbn.org.uk/stateofnature2019/