Wildlife in Crisis: What Has London Lost?

London’s Vanishing Wildlife.
In just a few short years, London has seen a dramatic decline in its precious wildlife—from hedgehogs and birds to bees and bats. As green spaces shrink and pollution rises, we must act now to protect what we have left.

Once a city where hedgehogs snuffled through gardens and sparrows filled the skies, London’s natural world is quietly slipping away. Over the past few decades—and especially in recent years—the capital has seen a worrying decline in its native wildlife. As concrete spreads and green space shrinks, the cost to nature is becoming harder to ignore.

Across London, species that were once common are vanishing. Hedgehogs, once a staple of the urban garden, have seen their numbers cut in half due to road traffic, fenced-in gardens, and the loss of essential hedgerows. Water voles, made famous by The Wind in the Willows, are now almost completely gone from the city’s rivers and canals.

Birdsong, too, is quieter. House sparrows and starlings—familiar sights just a generation ago—have both suffered dramatic declines. Pollution, fewer insects, and the destruction of nesting sites have all played their part. Even swifts and swallows, those iconic summer visitors, are turning away from London skies as suitable places to raise their young become harder to find.

Insects, which form the backbone of many ecosystems, are under threat as well. Bees, vital for pollination, are in decline due to pesticide use and vanishing meadows. Butterflies like the wall brown and small tortoiseshell are becoming rarities, while urban lighting and development disrupt bat populations and their nocturnal insect prey.

Amphibians and reptiles haven’t fared any better. Common toads and frogs are finding it harder to breed as ponds are paved over or polluted. Slow worms and common lizards, which once made homes in derelict brownfield sites, are losing their last urban refuges.

Even in the Thames and its tributaries, wildlife is suffering. The European eel, once abundant, is now struggling to navigate London’s waterways. Pollution, barriers, and overuse have left aquatic life under pressure.

Yet, amid the loss, there are sparks of hope. Beavers have been successfully reintroduced in Ealing to manage flood risks and restore natural balance. Peregrine falcons, once nearly extinct in the UK, have made a remarkable comeback and now nest on tall city buildings. Urban foxes continue to adapt cleverly to life among humans.

But these successes are rare exceptions in a broader story of loss. If London is to remain a city where nature thrives alongside people, urgent action is needed to protect what’s left and restore what’s been lost.

London is changing—but it doesn’t have to be at the expense of its wildlife.

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