THE recent Extinction Rebellion in London has drawn attention to what many scientists have thought for some years, that we are well into the sixth major extinction of life on this planet – like when the dinosaurs died out.

All kinds of wildlife are dying out now at a similar rate.

And the scary thing is this time it’s not a meteorite strike or other natural disaster- it is US who have caused it!

Intensive farming has been one of the driving forces that has brought this about.

Other effects like climate change are of course very important too. But, interestingly, the current change in economics and lifestyle meaning that more people are choosing to eat less meat, fewer people wear wool and even governments are promoting alternative energy and closing coal mines, is actually beginning to have a positive effect.

Locally, the economics of sheep farming is meaning less intensive grazing on some places like Halkyn Mountain, and lots of wondrous wildflowers like wild orchids, rare birds and butterflies are popping up all over the place.

This is very encouraging, so we have started a local nature conservation group and are holding a Bioblitz on June 30, jointly with the North Wales Wildlife Trust's Clwydian branch.

A Bioblitz is an event where a number of specialist naturalists record all of the wildlife species in a particular area.

There are several important objectives.

The first is to establish a baseline of records, which can be used to compare changes in the environments and habitats over future years – and possibly to compare with historical records.

The second is to discover whether there are any unusual or rare species or habitats needing special conservation measures.

Our Bioblitz on June 30 will be based at Halkyn Parish Hall where we will have stands displaying local wildlife and fossils.

You can drop in any time between 10am and 4pm and there will be activities for kids and refreshments, wildflower plants, photographs and books for sale.

You will be able to talk to local experts about the current management plan for the area and see reptiles, butterflies, moths and plants collected locally in the days beforehand.

There will be a number of guided walks throughout the day to go and see some of these in the wild.

So do come along - whatever the weather there will be new things to see and find out about!

Dr Goronwy Wynne, a renowned botanist, author and local resident, will give an introductory talk about the wildlife of the area on June 21 at 7pm.

This will also be held at Halkyn Parish Hall, near Holywell, CH8 8ES.

See the Facebook page for photos and more information at www.facebook.com/Halkynmountainconserv

Jan Miller-Klein is a member of the NWWT conservation committee and the Welsh Government Pollinator Taskforce.