A vascular plant red list for England

The results detailed in this vascular plant Red List present for the first time the current state of England's flora measured against standardised IUCN criteria. Almost one in five species has been assessed as threatened, with many more species assessed as "Near Threatened". The destruction and transformation of semi-natural habitats across the English landscape since the publication of the first Atlas of the British Flora (Perring & Walters 1962) is well known, and these changes are mirrored not only in the long list of taxa assessed as threatened in England but also in the decline in distribution by 20% or more of a suite of "Near Threatened" species, some of which were previously assumed to be widespread and with relatively stable distributions. The strategic approach advocated by Lawton et al. (2010) to restore, create and connect extant habitats at the landscape scale is essential if the declines identified in this and other Red Lists are to be arrested. Such an approach demands long-term commitment, considerable resources and a recognition of the benefits to be gained from a more diverse and adaptable environment.