NATURE is in trouble in the North, according to the results of an in-depth study of the region's flora and fauna.

Research for the project, entitled, State of Nature, has been carried out across the country by a coalition of conservation and research organisations.

In the North-East and North Yorkshire huge numbers of species are under threat.

Upland areas of County Durham and North Yorkshire are causing the most concern, with 65 per cent of species having declined.

Nick Adam's, the RSPB's Conservation Manager for the North-East, said: "Many of the species that are in trouble live in the extensive farmland areas of the county.

"These range from skylarks to brown hares. If we want to reverse these declines we need to ensure that farmers are given sufficient resources and support to be able to manage their land in a wildlife-friendly way."

Conservationists in Durham have expressed particular concern for butterflies.

Jim Cokill, Director of the Durham Wildlife Trust said: ''In recent times Durham Wildlife Trust has initiated a programme to save the small pearl-bordered fritillary butterfly, a species now reduced to only six sites in central areas of County Durham, from extinction in the county. This is just one example of a range of butterfly species that are in decline.''

On Teesside, people are being urged to make more of their own areas of green space.

Steve Ashton, Tees Valley Wildlife Trust People and Wildlife Manager said: "Urban wildlife is playing an increasingly crucial role in enriching people's well-being and without an opportunity to visit their local green space or nature reserve; many people would have no access to nature and all the benefits it brings.

"Of the 658 urban species included the report, 59 per cent have declined and 35 per cent have declined strongly. Gardens are vital in increasing habitat whether it is for garden tiger moth or hedgehog and also provide linkage between green spaces."

While the concern is real, projects are being undertaken to try and arrest the decline. Yorkshire Wildlife Trust Director of Operations, Terry Smithson, is at the forefront of operations in North Yorkshire.

"We work on a large scale tackling the uplands of Yorkshire," he said. "Around 100 square miles of Yorkshire's precious peatlands have been restored in a multi-million pound project, led by the Yorkshire Peat Partnership, to improve these vital habitats and help cut global warming by reducing the amount of carbon escaping from peatlands into the atmosphere."

The State of Nature report will be launched by Sir David Attenborough and UK conservation charities at the Natural History Museum in London tonight (May 22).