Europe Has Lost 400 Million+ Birds In Past 30 Years; 90% Declines In Some Common Species
London (AFP) - Europe has an estimated 421 million fewer birds than three decades ago, and current treatment of the environment is unsustainable for many common species, a study released on Monday said.
The population crash is related to modern farming methods and the loss and damage of habitats, according to the study published in science journal Ecology Letters.
"This is a warning from birds throughout Europe. It is clear that the way we are managing the environment is unsustainable for many of our most familiar species," said Richard Gregory of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, which co-led the study. "The conservation and legal protection of all birds and their habitats in tandem are essential to reverse declines."
The study found that about 90 percent of the decline occurred in the most common bird species, including grey partridges, skylarks, sparrows and starlings.
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http://news.yahoo.com/europe-421-million-fewer-birds-30-years-ago-004353783.html
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Seriously, I've even noticed over the years the decline in the bird population here in the US.
[font size=4]Bird populations across Europe have experienced sharp declines over the past 30 years, with the majority of losses from the most common species, say researchers from the University of Exeter, the RSPB and the Pan-European Common Bird Monitoring Scheme (PECBMS) in a new study. However numbers of some less common birds have risen.[/font]
[font size=3]The study, published in the journal Ecology Letters, reveals a decrease of 421 million individual birds over 30 years. Around 90 percent of these losses were from the 36 most common and widespread species, including house sparrows, skylarks, grey partridges and starlings, highlighting the need for greater efforts to halt the continent-wide declines of our most familiar countryside birds.
Richard Inger from the Environment and Sustainability Institute at the University of Exeter’s Penryn campus in Cornwall said: “It is very worrying that the most common species of bird are declining rapidly because it is this group of birds that people benefit from the most.”
“It is becoming increasingly clear that interaction with the natural world and wildlife is central to human wellbeing and significant loss of common birds could be quite detrimental to human society.”
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“This is a warning from birds throughout Europe. It is clear that the way we are managing the environment is unsustainable for many of our most familiar species.”
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