Information
May 12, 2022
An estimated 5245 bird species (48 per cent) across the world are suspected to be undergoing population declines, a major study has warned, stating that the existing conservation efforts were inadequate to check the loss of avian biodiversity.
The degradation and loss of natural habitats as well as direct overexploitation of many species are the key threats to avian biodiversity, the study led by the Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) says.
The loss in avian diversity is no less alarming in India, where current annual trends available for the past five years have been estimated for 146 species. Of these, nearly 80% are declining in numbers, and almost 50% plummetting strongly. Just over 6% of the species studied show stable populations and 14% show increasing population trends.
The study underlines birdwatching, a global pastime involving millions of people, as a form of avian conservation but warns of “local negative impacts” of bird feeding valued at $5-6 billion per year and growing by 4% annually.Apart from tropical forests, the threat of natural grasslands has been particularly worrying for North America, Europe and India. “If unique ecosystems like grasslands are to retain their diverse birdlife, governments and research groups must prioritise such landscapes and their inhabitants for conservation and ensure that they do not become plantations or woodlands,” NCF’s Ashwin Viswanathan said.
“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,” Ken Rosenberg of Cornell University said. Because birds are highly visible and sensitive indicators of environmental health, we know their loss signals a much wider loss of biodiversity and threat to human health and well-being, he added.
By Anisha Ganguly
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