RED ALERT FOR EUROPE’S BIRDS

Red Alert for

EUROPE'S BIRDS BIRDS

MORE BAD NEWS FOR EUROPE’S BIRDS BY BILLY FLYNN

At a time when most conservation news arriving in is depressing, it takes a remarkable headline to make you sit up and read further. One of those arrived from Birdlife International on the 14th of October: One in ve European birds is threatened with extinction. To say that this is not good news would be something of an understatement. e report forms what we now refer to as the ‘red list’ for bird species in Europe. e International Union for the Conservation on Nature (IUCN) red list categories and criteria are intended to be an easily and widely understood system for classifying species at high risk of global extinction. e October report was the fourth of its kind from Birdlife International, the others being in 1994, 2004 and 2015. It forms a review of the extinction risk of all 544 species of European birds. e data has come from experts and volunteers across 54 countries. e European region extends from the Azores in the west to the Ural Mountains in the east and from Greenland in the north to Malta and Cyprus in the south. e report tells us that one third of the species under assessment are showing declines in populations. 13% (71 species) of bird species are threatened, with 48 species being classed as vulnerable and approximately 2% (8 species) being critically endangered.

Another 34 species are listed as ‘near threatened.’ Most depressingly ve species are considered regionally extinct. Pallas’ sand grouse and pine bunting are two species that have become extinct since the last red list was produced.

It’s not all bad news, though. Two species, the Caspian plover and the Asian desert warbler that were believed to be extinct and listed as so in 2015, have reappeared. Further good news is reported in the form of recovery of numbers of species that were critically endangered. One such species is the red kite. is beautiful raptor is in a more secure situation now than previously reported. Changes in legislation across European states to a ord this species protection and banning pesticides that had played havoc with red kite populations are believed to be responsible for this species’ recovery.

When it comes to the reasons for Europe’s bird species declines, the report is unambiguous. Habitat loss is the main factor driving numbers downwards. Large-scale land-use changes are responsible. ese include the loss of marginal lands and the intensi cation of agricultural practices. ese don’t just apply to the huge cereal elds of central Europe. ese changes are also happening in Ireland and the impacts are being felt here too. Species that we once considered commonplace and familiar are under threat. Readers will be familiar with the plight of the Irish breeding curlew population and the frantic e orts to prop this up. e Birdlife report tells us that the common snipe is now listed as ‘vulnerable’ having previously been described as being of ‘least concern’.

Other drivers of the downward trends of bird numbers include over-exploitation of marine resources that have e ectively cut o food sources for some of our sea-going species. Pollution of inland waters is also having an impact. e black-necked grebe is now listed as ‘vulnerable’ (previously of least concern) and runo from agricultural activities and urban areas is believed responsible. Unsustainable forestry practices that are described by the report as common across the region are listed as being responsible for the declining population of the great spotted woodpecker. e red list of birds has signi cance beyond just these species. e ‘canary in the coalmine’ analogy is very pertinent here as bird populations provide vital insight into the state of our habitats. Head of conservation in Birdlife Europe Anna Staneva puts it bluntly: ‘…where birds are in trouble, nature is in trouble.’ Extending that further, where nature is in trouble, humans are in trouble. ere is some reason to be hopeful though. Birdlife’s species conservation o cer, Claire Rutherford, says that there is still time to improve the plight of Europe’s birds and solutions have been identi ed. Large-scale habitat loss has caused many of the declines but largescale restoration work will help birds, and humanity, to survive.

We have seen some bird conservation success stories in Ireland of late. One of the more celebrated and unexpected of these was the return of cranes as a breeding species. e rewetting of thousands of hectares of cutover bog is exactly the kind of largescale restoration work that is called for in the Birdlife report. If we can apply the same thinking to the vast areas of agricultural lands that could be improved for wildlife with no signi cant loss to either incomes or productivity, we could look forward to many more success stories.

Birdlife International, is an international non-governmental organisation that is a partnership of 43 national conservation organisations. It has a member body in each of the EU states and here in Ireland, Birdwatch Ireland is our representative body.