UK one of world’s most nature-depleted countries, new data shows

Just 53 per cent of our biodiversity remains after the industrial revolution wiped out vast tracts, writes Colin Drury

(Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The UK is one of the world’s most nature-depleted countries and may now be on course for an ecological meltdown, new research suggests.

Just 53 per cent of the country’s natural biodiversity is left, according to analysis by the Natural History Museum released today.

The figure falls well below the 90 per cent which experts reckon is the safe limit to prevent a future in which ecosystems effectively fail, resulting in crop shortages and infestations.