How drought and water shortages will affect wildlife in England

From dried-up rivers and peatlands to burned-out habitats, the extreme dry conditions across much of England are squeezing everything from endangered spiders to fish spawning grounds

By Adam Vaughan

From birds and butterflies to salmon and trout, England’s extreme dry conditions are taking their toll on wildlife. Drought status is looming for large parts of the country after the driest July since 1935, and looks set to to last — on 9 August the UK’s Centre for Ecology and Hydrogy said rivers will be “exceptionally low” until October in central, eastern and southern England.

While millions of people will be affected, other species are facing life-threatening impacts as …