The Woodland Trust is urging local authorities to declare a nature emergency and take urgent steps to restore severely depleted wildlife and natural green spaces.

With UK British wildlife species declining by an average of 19 per cent since 1970 and nearly one in six at risk of extinction, the charity says urgent action is needed.

The Trust has launched a Nature Emergency Scorecard www.natureemergency.com, which reveals that despite the UK’s nations being among the most nature depleted countries in the world, just 25 per cent of local authorities have declared a nature emergency, and only 12 per cent have a nature action plan.

The Trust is calling on councils to identify land for habitat restoration and plant trees to improve tree equity.