Editing Isle of Wight (section)

===Flora and fauna===
The Isle of Wight is one of the few places in England where the European [[red squirrel]] is still flourishing, as no competing [[eastern grey squirrel|grey squirrels]] are to be found there.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iwight.com/living_here/environment/operation_squirrel.asp |title=Operation Squirrel |publisher=Iwight.com |access-date=25 September 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090628055035/http://www.iwight.com/living_here/environment/operation_squirrel.asp |archive-date=28 June 2009 }}</ref> Other mammalian species on the island include the [[European badger]], [[European hedgehog|hedgehog]], [[least weasel]], [[red fox]] and [[stoat]], with the hedgehogs proving to be quite popular amongst locals and visitors alike; in 2019, a rescue and rehabilitation group was organised to assist them, called '''Save Our Hedgehogs Isle of Wight'''.<ref>{{cite web |date=5 January 2021 |title=2020 WAS RECORD YEAR FOR HEDGEHOG RESCUES ON THE ISLE OF WIGHT |url=https://www.iwradio.co.uk/news/isle-of-wight-news/2020-was-record-year-for-hedgehog-rescues-on-the-isle-of-wight/ |access-date=20 June 2022 |publisher=Isle of Wight Radio}}</ref> The island is also home to several protected species, such as the [[dormouse|European dormouse]] and several rare [[bat]]s, including the [[western barbastelle]].

There are several species of [[deer]] on the island, both [[endemic]] and [[Invasive species|non-native]], all of which are monitored and surveyed annually by the organisation '''Isle of Wight Deer Conservation'''. According to the '''British Deer Society''' (BDS),<ref>{{Cite web |date= |title=Isle of Wight Deer - a Position Statement from the British Deer Society, October 2017 |url=https://bds.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Isle-of-Wight-Deer.pdf |access-date=4 February 2024 |website=British Deer Society |quote=The British Deer Society understands that the Isle of Wight Biodiversity Group wishes to designate the Island as a ‘deer-free zone’. Red and Roe deer can be considered indigenous to the Island and, despite periods of absence, both species are continually recorded as swimming to the Island from the mainland. Their presence may therefore be considered to be natural and part of a rich biodiversity. Our ancient woodlands were shaped in the presence of deer, and browsing by deer is an important and beneficial factor in creating diverse woodland structure. As wild deer, these species have a clear entitlement to remain within their natural range and it is manifestly inappropriate to write them out of the Island’s natural history. If management is required, then both species are readily managed with human intervention.}}</ref> the '''Isle of Wight Biodiversity Group''' would like to see the island's ecosystems and flora preserved, one method being to keep the island "deer-free"; however, of the five types of deer documented, the [[Red deer|European red deer]] and [[roe deer]] are truly native species, having been known to swim to the island from the mainland. 

The diminutive Chinese [[Reeves's muntjac|Reeve's muntjac]] or barking deer—so-called due to its signature dog-like "bark" when threatened—is one of the smallest deer species on Earth and is present on the island. The Asian [[Sika deer|sika]] (the second-largest species on the island) and [[European fallow deer|Eurasian fallow deer]] also will journey to the island from the mainland, generally seen in very small herds, in pairs, or alone. Ultimately, all five of the deer species seen on the Isle of Wight are adept swimmers, thus any that are observed may or may not be long-term Island residents. Nonetheless, the island deer (that are present at any given time) tend to remain strategically hidden and are generally thought of as being difficult to spot, even on such a small island. Besides deer, there exists a colony of feral [[goat]]s on Ventnor's downs.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.iwcp.co.uk/news/news/deer-could-damage-island-warning-34277.aspx |title=Deer could damage Island warning |publisher=Iwcp.co.uk |date=17 August 2010 |access-date=26 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141011074550/http://www.iwcp.co.uk/news/news/deer-could-damage-island-warning-34277.aspx |archive-date=11 October 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wildlifeonline.me.uk/red_deer.html |title=Natural History of Red Deer |publisher=Wildlife Online |date=27 April 2010 |access-date=12 September 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bds.org.uk/index.php/documents/deer-species/12-muntjac-deer-poster/file |title=Archived copy |access-date=10 September 2016 |archive-date=8 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160908145039/http://www.bds.org.uk/index.php/documents/deer-species/12-muntjac-deer-poster/file |url-status=dead }}</ref> 

The [[Glanville fritillary]], a species of butterfly, has a distribution in the United Kingdom largely restricted to the edges of the island's crumbling cliffs.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.ukbutterflies.co.uk/species.php?species=cinxia | title=Glanville Fritillary| publisher=UK Butterflies | access-date=28 November 2016}}</ref>

A competition in 2002 named the [[pyramidal orchid]] as the Isle of Wight's [[county flower]].<ref name="plantlife">{{cite web | url=http://www.plantlife.org.uk/wild_plants/plant_species/pyramidal_orchid/ | title=Pyramidal orchid | publisher=[[Plantlife]] | access-date=10 March 2016 | archive-date=10 March 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310220230/http://www.plantlife.org.uk/wild_plants/plant_species/pyramidal_orchid/ | url-status=dead }}</ref>

The occurrence of species and habitats of conservation importance in the island's waters has led to the designation of a suite of [[marine protected area]]s seeking to protect these features, including [[Marine Conservation Zone|marine conservation zones (MCZs)]] and [[Special Area of Conservation|special areas of conservation (SACs)]]. The island's marine environment also forms a component of its UNESCO [[Biosphere Reserve]], and is part of the Western English Channel Important Marine Mammal Area (IMMA). 
[[File:Isle of Wight population pyramid.svg|thumb|Population pyramid of the Isle of Wight in 2021]]