Species conservation – The chosen few

Species conservation in the UK is covered by several different pieces of legislation. Not all species enjoy the same level of protection. Birds are the best protected; under a reverse listing system they are protected unless expressly excluded. All plants are also protected to some extent. Non-avian fauna fares less well. For most species, there is no protection unless they are listed in schedules to the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 or in Annexes to the EU Habitats Directive. Most invertebrates have no protection at all. Overall, species legislation is restricted to large well known and much loved groups, such as birds, and species that are known to be rare. While more than 150 years of species protection legislation has left us with a reasonable framework for protection, there are inconsistencies in the way it is applied to different taxa. The Law Commission has recommended consolidation, and the introduction of more flexibility in the system so that changes to listing could be made quickly where necessary – but has not addressed the biases towards vertebrates, especially birds, and higher plants. If the legislation is to be changed, it is suggested that more thought should be given to why we wish to conserve certain species and not others