New campaign shines light on London's wildlife

Falcons nesting high on the skyline, foxes working the night streets and, in the suburbs, beavers building dams. Some of London's least-noticed residents are all around you, and a new campaign wants you to start looking.

London Wildlife Trust is using humour, wordplay and familiar London stereotypes to highlight the wild animals surviving in one of the world's busiest cities.

It says up to 50 pairs of peregrine falcons now nest on some of the capital's highest and most iconic buildings.

Such wildlife has adapted well to city life but remains under growing pressure, the Trust says.

The UK is one of the world's most nature-depleted countries, according to the charity, which says more than 41% of wildlife species have declined since the 1970s. A recent assessment of 529 urban species found that 37 were now at risk of extinction, it added.

The campaign, created by McPartland Studio, is running on digital advertising screens using space donated by Ocean Outdoor.

It invites people to take an online quiz to find their "wild Londoner match", learn facts about urban wildlife and discover simple ways to support nature's recovery.

The Trust points to several species as signs of hope.

Hedgehogs, among Britain's few hibernating mammals, are growing in numbers in urban areas where linked gardens and green spaces provide habitat.

Starlings are highly social birds able to mimic a wide range of sounds.

Beavers have also returned to London after more than 400 years. The Trust describes them as ecosystem engineers whose wetlands provide new habitat for amphibians, birds, bats, insects and countless other species.

The charity says wildlife's ability to adapt has limits and that the animals still need space, healthy habitats and public support if they are to keep sharing the capital with the people who live here.

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