• Global bird populations steadily declini

    From ScienceDaily@1:317/3 to All on Thu May 5 22:30:38 2022
    Global bird populations steadily declining
    Study conclusion mirrors shocking losses previously shown in North
    America

    Date:
    May 5, 2022
    Source:
    Cornell University
    Summary:
    Staggering declines in bird populations are taking place around
    the world. So concludes a study from scientists at multiple
    institutions.

    Loss and degradation of natural habitats and direct
    overexploitation of many species are cited as the key threats to
    avian biodiversity. Climate change is identified as an emerging
    driver of bird population declines.



    FULL STORY ========================================================================== Staggering declines in bird populations are taking place around the
    world. So concludes a study from scientists at multiple institutions,
    published today in the journal Annual Review of Environment and
    Resources. Loss and degradation of natural habitats and direct
    overexploitation of many species are cited as the key threats to avian biodiversity. Climate change is identified as an emerging driver of bird population declines.


    ==========================================================================
    "We are now witnessing the first signs of a new wave of extinctions of continentally distributed bird species," says lead author Alexander
    Lees, senior lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University in the
    United Kingdom and also a research associate at the Cornell Lab of
    Ornithology. "Avian diversity peaks globally in the tropics and it
    is there that we also find the highest number of threatened species."
    The study says approximately 48% of existing bird species worldwide are
    known or suspected to be undergoing population declines. Populations
    are stable for 39% of species. Only 6% are showing increasing population trends, and the status of 7% is still unknown. The study authors reviewed changes in avian biodiversity using data from the International Union
    for Conservation of Nature's "Red List" to reveal population changes
    among the world's 11,000 bird species.

    The findings mirror the results of a seminal 2019 study which determined
    that nearly 3 billion breeding birds have been lost during the past 50
    years across the United States and Canada. The lead author of that study
    is also an author on this global status report.

    "After documenting the loss of nearly 3 billion birds in North America
    alone, it was dismaying to see the same patterns of population declines
    and extinction occurring globally," says conservation scientist Ken
    Rosenberg from the Cornell Lab, now retired. "Because birds are highly
    visible and sensitive indicators of environmental health, we know their
    loss signals a much wider loss of biodiversity and threats to human health
    and well-being." Despite their findings, study authors say there is
    hope for avian conservation efforts, but transformative change is needed.

    "The fate of bird populations is strongly dependent on stopping the
    loss and degradation of habitats," says Lees. "That is often driven by
    demand for resources. We need to better consider how commodity flows can contribute to biodiversity loss and try to reduce the human footprint on
    the natural world." "Fortunately, the global network of bird conservation organizations taking part in this study have the tools to prevent further
    loss of bird species and abundance," adds Rosenberg. "From land protection
    to policies supporting sustainable resource-use, it all depends on the
    will of governments and of society to live side by side with nature
    on our shared planet." Information is key, and study authors point
    out that the growth of public participation in bird monitoring and the
    advent of easy-to-use tools, such as the Cornell Lab's eBird database,
    make continental-scale breeding bird surveys, distribution atlases,
    and abundance models possible and help inform conservation efforts.

    This study was conducted by scientists from Manchester Metropolitan
    University, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, BirdLife International,
    the University of Johannesburg, Pontifical Xavierian University, and
    the Nature Conservation Foundation.


    ========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Cornell_University. Note: Content
    may be edited for style and length.


    ========================================================================== Journal Reference:
    1. Alexander C. Lees, Lucy Haskell, Tris Allinson, Simeon B. Bezeng,
    Ian J.

    Burfield, Luis Miguel Renjifo, Kenneth V. Rosenberg, Ashwin
    Viswanathan, Stuart H.M. Butchart. State of the World's
    Birds. Annual Review of Environment and Resources, 2022; 47 (1)
    DOI: 10.1146/annurev-environ- 112420-014642 ==========================================================================

    Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/05/220505114633.htm

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