The statutory targets to halt and reverse species extinction and decline in abundance are ambitious and welcome. However, the exclusion of numerous invertebrate species and in some cases entire groups from the baseline metrics, particularly those vital for UK food security such as predatory beetles, is concerning. Including only 11 species of bumblebee is not an adequate abundance indicator for all 270 (at least) unique UK bee species. We are concerned that a significant number of insect or i...

The statutory targets to halt and reverse species extinction and decline in abundance are ambitious and welcome. However, the exclusion of numerous invertebrate species and in some cases entire groups from the baseline metrics, particularly those vital for UK food security such as predatory beetles, is concerning. Including only 11 species of bumblebee is not an adequate abundance indicator for all 270 (at least) unique UK bee species. We are concerned that a significant number of insect or invertebrate species could go extinct or significantly decline in abundance, and yet the statutory targets could still be met by law. Type: conclusion | Number: 23 | Paragraph: 143 | Response status: not_addressed Government response: Defra acknowledges this recommendation. The species abundance and extinction risk indicators were both developed using the best available data at the time. Although the indicators have been designed to represent wider species and habitats as much as possible, the tax