Thousands of species in Wales are now at risk of extinction, according to a major new study that identifies the country’s most vulnerable wildlife for the first time.
The “first of its kind in the UK” report, published by Natural Resources Wales (NRW), highlights the rarest species based on how geographically restricted they have become — including the high brown fritillary butterfly and the rainbow-sheened Snowdon leaf beetle.
NRW found that around 3,000 species now survive in just five locations or fewer, leaving them acutely exposed to habitat loss, climate change and extreme weather events. The organisation, responsible for safeguarding Wales’s natural environment, hopes the findings will help target conservation efforts where they are most urgently needed.
Wales has already lost 11 species since 2000, including the European turtle dove and the belted beauty moth, which are now considered geographically extinct in the country.
The new Species in Peril report warns that several more could follow. Among those at greatest risk are the high brown fritillary, the Snowdon leaf beetle, the Arctic-Alpine pea mussel, woolly feather-moss and the eyed chestnut wrinkle-lichen. Yet experts say saving them doesn’t require huge investment.
“Some of the solutions are incredibly simple,” said Mannon Lewis, strategic projects lead at NRW. “It can be as straightforward as adjusting grazing levels, changing when we cut grass, avoiding unnecessary felling, or trimming hedgerows differently. These are low-cost measures — and now we know exactly where they’re needed.”
The report underscores the crucial role of nature reserves and Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) in protecting threatened species. One example is Newborough Warren on Anglesey, a national nature reserve of dunes and woodlands that supports 130 of the species at risk.
Restoration work there has already shown results. Conservation teams have introduced ponies to graze and opened up dune areas to natural forces, allowing specialised insects and plants to recover.
“Within months of exposing some of these bare areas, beetle species that hadn’t been recorded at Newborough for a decade suddenly appeared in large numbers,” said Mike Howe, an NRW ecologist involved in the study.
Conservationist Dr Tyler Hallman of Bangor University said the approach — particularly linking networks of protected sites — offers real hope and could even pave the way for species once lost to Wales to return.
“There are genuine conservation success stories,” he said. “The European turtle dove is extinct in Wales, but numbers in Europe have risen in recent years. Who’s to say it won’t come back? As habitats improve and species recover, we may well see some return. That’s a huge positive — it shows there are things we can do.”
