A seven-year research program known as Monarch (Modeling Natural Resource Responses to Climate Change), developed to assess the impact of global warming on wildlife in the UK and Ireland, has warned that some species such as the capercaillie, could vanish from Britain by the 2050s.

Conservationists say the report indicates helping wildlife adapt will become an increasingly important strand of British conservation work – not just for threatened species but for thousands of others that will also need to move to find more suitable climes.

They suggest creating wildlife “corridors” through urban areas to help species travel and adapt.