When talk turns to UK wildlife, what springs to mind? Many people will think of forests filled with deer and badgers, hedgehogs peeping out of tall grasses, winding rivers brimming with barbel or salmon, heathlands dotted with wildflowers, and rolling green hills. Sadly, these landscapes and the flora and fauna they contain are becoming less a part of Britain’s reality, and more stories of old. Our horizons are becoming increasingly filled with areas of farmland, industry and human settlement, and as they spread, they take with them a myriad of habitats and native animals. Over the next few pages, we take a look at the current state of UK wildlife — paying close attention to the issues that threaten it and the organisations that are trying to protect it. You’ll also be able to read up on the benefits of being outside and how to reap them, as well as what you can do to help wildlife at home and in your local area.