Extreme Weather 2025: UK Nature in Crisis

Published: 29 December 2025. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online.

The year 2025 has tested the resilience of the UK’s natural world through extremes of heat, drought and wildfire, leaving ecosystems strained and wildlife struggling for survival. From the sun-baked landscapes of spring to the autumn deluges that followed, this year has showcased how compounded weather events can stretch nature to its limits. Conservationists and ecologists have expressed alarm at the unprecedented combination of challenges facing flora and fauna, highlighting the urgent need for concerted environmental action.

Bookended by the powerful storms Éowyn and Bram, the UK endured a summer of scorching temperatures that triggered widespread heathland and moorland fires. In mid Wales, a devastating blaze swept across Abergwesyn Common, consuming more than 5,000 hectares of peatland. This fire destroyed vital habitats for species ranging from golden plovers and skylarks to common lizards, frogs, field voles, and rare dragonflies such as the black darter. Rangers warned that the ecological damage from this fire will reverberate for decades, making recovery a slow and uncertain process.

Further north, fragile plant species such as tufted saxifrage faced near extinction on the slopes of Eryri, known as Snowdonia. Only seven individuals of this delicate alpine plant were known to remain, but thankfully they survived the heatwave. Even areas spared from fire witnessed dramatic effects, with birds of prey and owls suffering population crashes across parched grasslands at the Mottisfont and Sherborne estates.

Low rainfall compounded the crisis, leaving ponds and streams at critically low levels or dried out entirely. Breeding sites for great crested newts at Tattershall Castle in Lincolnshire failed completely, while Formby’s natterjack toads on the Merseyside coast produced no young, highlighting the fragile balance of aquatic ecosystems. Mature trees showed signs of acute stress through premature leaf loss, limb drop, and diminished canopy vitality, while newly planted saplings experienced mortality rates up to 40%, far exceeding expected losses. Oak trees, already threatened by acute oak decline, were particularly vulnerable in the Midlands and eastern regions with lower rainfall.

Seabird populations faced their own trials. Arctic tern nests at Long Nanny in Northumberland fell by 30%, while puffin numbers on the Farne Islands declined by a third, raising concerns about long-term population stability. Simultaneously, unusually mild autumn weather triggered unexpected flowering in woodland plants and fruit trees. At Newark Park, woodland holly blossomed in November, and in the Peak District, summer-flowering harebells were still in bloom. Apple trees in Nottinghamshire and Herefordshire bore blossoms late into autumn, while roses bloomed in Hampshire in December, reflecting the irregular rhythms of seasonal growth caused by extreme temperatures.

Wildlife behavior also shifted. Bats and brimstone butterflies remained active into November in Suffolk, while jackdaws, hooded crows, and rooks began nesting months ahead of schedule in Northern Ireland. Adaptable species thrived in this altered climate: grey seals, carrion crows, and speckled wood butterflies benefitted from warmer conditions and a more varied diet, illustrating the uneven consequences of climate extremes.

For plants, the year brought unexpected abundance in some regions. Dunham Massey in Cheshire recorded the largest acorn crop in living memory, while South Downs and Chilterns hedgerows produced thick yields of berries. Conservation projects also offered glimpses of hope. At Holnicote Estate on Exmoor, the creation of “stage 0” wetlands has supported thriving populations of water voles, great white egrets, and goldfinches. The heath fritillary butterfly, one of the UK’s rarest, saw numbers increase to over 1,000 across 13 sites, almost doubling from the previous year.

Despite these pockets of success, experts caution that many specialist species face steep declines. Ben McCarthy, head of nature conservation at the National Trust, warned that protected areas such as SSSIs are too fragmented to serve as effective ecological networks. “The homogenisation of the wider countryside is accelerating species decline. Without urgent, joined-up action, nature will continue to deteriorate,” he said. Human-driven climate change is intensifying extreme weather globally, making heatwaves, floods, and wildfires more frequent and severe, leaving no aspect of nature untouched.

2025 serves as a stark reminder that immediate, coordinated conservation strategies are essential to prevent long-term ecological collapse. The compounded impacts of repeated drought years, heatwaves, and fires have already left a lasting imprint on the UK’s landscapes, wildlife, and plant life. From fragile alpine flowers to seabirds and forest trees, no species has been completely shielded from the pressures of this extraordinary year. As climate-related extremes grow increasingly severe, the ability of nature to adapt is being tested like never before, highlighting both its vulnerability and the pressing need for human intervention.