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    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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