Why bother about birds?
Bird numbers are declining around the globe,
and getting worse.
Luckily, we know it costs relatively little to save
and protect nature, and we know it can be
done. In the future, the costs will be far greater.
Bird conservation is affordable… and it works.
“The status of the world’s birds is declining”
BirdLife International World Congress Ottawa Canada
Partnerships for Nature and People June 19-22 2013
State of the World’s Birds
www.birdlife.org/datazone/sowb
Birds help us understand the natural world
We know more about birds than any other animal
group. Their decline reflects a deteriorating global
environment, affecting all life – including people.
Birds are an accurate and easy-to-read environmental
barometer that lets us see the pressures we put on
“Birds are excellent indicators and a popular
the world’s biodiversity.
window on the world”
BirdLife International World Congress Ottawa Canada
Partnerships for Nature and People June 19-22 2013
State of the World’s Birds
www.birdlife.org/datazone/sowb
The status of the world’s birds is deteriorating
Birds are declining, but some groups such as seabirds
are declining faster than others.
BirdLife International World Congress Ottawa Canada
Partnerships for Nature and People June 19-22 2013
“The UN now uses BirdLife’s Red List
Index to monitor sustainability”
State of the World’s Birds
www.birdlife.org/datazone/sowb
More and more bird species are at risk of extinction
197 bird species are classified as Critically
Endangered, the highest threat level.
BirdLife International World Congress Ottawa Canada
Partnerships for Nature and People June 19-22 2013
“One in eight [bird] species are
threatened with extinction”
State of the World’s Birds
www.birdlife.org/datazone/sowb
A range of threats is driving declines in globally threatened birds
“Current agricultural practices are the
greatest threat to bird species”
BirdLife International World Congress Ottawa Canada
Partnerships for Nature and People June 19-22 2013
State of the World’s Birds
www.birdlife.org/datazone/sowb
Many bird species, including common ones, are declining
In Europe, data over 30 years shows that
common birds are also in decline.
Some groups – such as those found on
farmland – are declining faster than others.
“Many governments now use common bird
trends to track environmental sustainability”
BirdLife International World Congress Ottawa Canada
Partnerships for Nature and People June 19-22 2013
State of the World’s Birds
www.birdlife.org/datazone/sowb
Some sites are very important for birds and wildlife
We know where the most important nature
sites are. We call these Important Bird and
Biodiversity Areas – IBAs for short.
“BirdLife has identified more than 12,000 IBAs
on land and at sea”
BirdLife International World Congress Ottawa Canada
Partnerships for Nature and People June 19-22 2013
State of the World’s Birds
www.birdlife.org/datazone/sowb
IBAs guide protection in the marine realm
IBAs affect how we manage marine resources such
as fish stocks
“Marine IBAs have been instrumental in
identifying Protected Areas in the oceans”
BirdLife International World Congress Ottawa Canada
Partnerships for Nature and People June 19-22 2013
State of the World’s Birds
www.birdlife.org/datazone/sowb
Many IBAs are in an unfavourable state— “IBAs in Danger”
The BirdLife Partnership identified over 300 IBAs
worldwide that need effective protection and
management.
BirdLife International World Congress Ottawa Canada
Partnerships for Nature and People June 19-22 2013
“IBA monitoring by BirdLife Partners
has helped identify IBAs in Danger”
State of the World’s Birds
www.birdlife.org/datazone/sowb
What will it cost to save nature and protect it?
How much will it cost:
• To save all threatened
species from extinction?
• To protect and manage
Important Bird and
Biodiversity Areas?
“BirdLife data show that US$80 billion per year
is needed for global nature protection”
BirdLife International World Congress Ottawa Canada
Partnerships for Nature and People June 19-22 2013
State of the World’s Birds
www.birdlife.org/datazone/sowb
Investing in conservation is essential… and affordable
“This expense is an investment not a bill.
The alternative will be far more costly”
BirdLife International World Congress Ottawa Canada
Partnerships for Nature and People June 19-22 2013
State of the World’s Birds
www.birdlife.org/datazone/sowb
Effective conservation is affordable and it works
“BirdLife Partners have taken action for over
537 threatened species (40%), since 2008”
BirdLife International World Congress Ottawa Canada
Partnerships for Nature and People June 19-22 2013
State of the World’s Birds
www.birdlife.org/datazone/sowb
Threatened species can be saved
Habitat restoration and the
removal of invasive plant species
by the BirdLife Partner in Portugal
has helped save the Azores
Bullfinch from extinction.
In Brazil, the BirdLife Partner and
others have successfully lobbied
for a new state park to safeguard
the future of the Restinga Antwren
“Over ten years, action by BirdLife Partners and
others prevented the extinction of 16 bird species”
BirdLife International World Congress Ottawa Canada
Partnerships for Nature and People June 19-22 2013
State of the World’s Birds
www.birdlife.org/datazone/sowb
State of Australia’s birds
Samantha Vine
Head of Conservation
BirdLife Australia
State of Australia’s Birds – the bad news
• We’ve lost 2% of our avifauna –27 taxa are listed as Extinct
• 20 birds are Critically Endangered
• 60 Endangered, 68 Vulnerable, 63 are Near Threatened
• Things are getting worse. The last assessment (2010) showed that 39 taxa have been
uplisted to a more threatened category because they are faring worse than they were
a decade ago.
• This includes four taxa that are new to the Critically Endangered category.
State of Australia’s Birds – some good
news
• Despite escalating threats we’ve been successful at recovering threatened species
where adequate funding and effort has been applied.
•Conservation works! And it is affordable.
•Even for our most imperilled Critically Endangered species we estimate imminent
extinction could be prevented for an average Au$380,000 per species.
• In a report released last month we estimate the cost of managing the 396 birds
most at risk from new and existing threats including climate change at Au $18.8
million per year – Au$47,700 per year for each taxon
Bird Conservation in Australia
• BirdLife Australia plays a key role in threatened species conservation, through
• monitoring and assessment of the status of Australian birds,
• developing and lobbying government for funds to implement bird recovery
programs
•facilitating effective community & individual efforts for threatened species
recovery … and lots more.
The Hooded Plover
Australia’s most threatened beach-nesting bird
• Hooded Plovers love sandy beaches with big swells & sandunes
• ‘Hoodies’ are threatened by people, their dogs & 4WDs. They are
very sensitive to disturbance & will leave their eggs unattended.
• BirdLife Australia project:
monitoring and protection of
the Hooded Plover
• The chance of successfully
raising chicks has improved
from 2% to 55%
Photo: Glenn Ehmke
Plains Wanderer protection in Australia’s farming country
• Small grassland bird, distributed sparsely throughout eastern Australia
• 1980’s : discovery of its decline, due to intensification of agriculture &
grazing practices
•Acquisition of agricultural land for plains
wanderer habitat has greatly helped the
species.
• Some management changes have also been
applied to agricultural properties, with less
success.
• These efforts are greatly helping the survival
of the species.
Glossy Black cockatoo (Kangaroo
Island)
• Reduced from a population of many thousands, to only 150 on one
island
• Research in the 1990’s identified Brush-tailed possums taking
eggs & chicks from nests
•
•
•
Nest sites protected with corrugated iron
“collars” to stop possums climbing trees
Cockatoo population more than doubled in the
past 15 years
Down-listing possible by 2020
Photo: www.kinrm.sa.gov.au
Citizen Science: Working Together to Assess the
State of Canada’s Birds
Dick Cannings
Senior Project Biologist,
Bird Studies Canada
Report Overview
• Canada’s first comprehensive
report on the health of bird
populations
• What can changes in bird
populations tell us about our
environment?
• How is human activity affecting
bird populations?
www.stateofcanadasbirds.org
The State of Canada’s Birds 2012 was prepared by the North American Bird
Conservation Initiative (NABCI) Canada – a collaboration of government and
non-governmental organizations. It highlights the need for urgent action for
bird conservation.
Changes in Canada’s Birds
 Some groups
of
species doing well
(33% of species)
On average
Canadian bird
populations have
declined by 12%
 Other groups
of
species declining
(44% of species)
70 species at some
risk of extirpation
Birds of Prey are recovering
Raptors (hawks, eagles, falcons)
– 70% average increase
– Populations of many species had crashed by the 1960s,
largely as a result of pesticides such as DDT
– Banning of DDT has allowed many species to recover – and
made the environment healthier for people
Bald Eagle
Peregrine Falcon
Waterfowl are doing well
 Waterfowl (ducks, geese, swans)
– 45% average increase since 1970
– Reflects success of conservation
and management actions from
governments, environmental
organizations, private landowners,
and hunters
– Effective regulation of hunting
began in 1917, spurred on by
dramatic declines in populations
of many species owing to intense
levels of commercial exploitation
– Investment in wetland habitat
conservation has been key since
then
Aerial Insectivores in decline
 Aerial Insectivores (birds that catch insects in flight, such as
swallows, swifts, and flycatchers)
– 64% decline
– Causes uncertain:
• changes in insect populations?
• loss of habitat?
• climate change?
Barn Swallow
Common Nighthawk
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Grassland birds in trouble
 Grassland birds – 45% decline
– Some species have declined more than 90%
– Loss of breeding and winter habitat
• Conversion of native grassland
• Agricultural intensification – replacing pasture with grain
Eastern Meadowlark
Bobolink
McCown’s Longspur
Disappearing shorebirds
Shorebirds (sandpipers, plovers)
 42% decline overall
 Largest declines for Arctic-nesting
species (>60%)
 Amazing migrations
 Dependency on stop-over sites
 Susceptibility to disturbance
 Unknown contribution of climate
change
Panama Bay
Whimbrel
Migrate farther = Worse off
Migrant
USA
Central America
and Caribbean
Decline
 5%
 15%
 60%
South America
Year-round Residents
Canada
(year-round residents)
Increase
 50%
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Wood Thrush
Arctic Tern
A path forward
• We know the priorities for
conservation research and
action
• We know the solutions:
– Investment in Partnerships
– Protect Important Bird Areas
– Flyways approach for key
species
– Respect and support traditional
economies
– Focus research where needed
– Apply precautionary principle
• So . . . Let’s do it!