How the Birds Directive has benefited birds and society

Recent BirdLife data prove - the Birds Directive works

In the first 15 Member States of the EU (EU15), many bird populations showed a significant overall increase during the 1990s that was not evident elsewhere in Europe. In particular the specially protected “Annex I species”, and species of inland wetlands, Mediterranean forests and montane grasslands, have done better in the EU15 than outside.

Within the EU Annex I species (specially protected by the Birds Directive) are generally faring better than other species:

• More Annex I species now have a favourable conservation status than in 1994
• Of the 14 species whose status has improved from unfavourable to favourable in the last decade, ten are on Annex I

Many species are responding positively to protection through the SPA/Natura 2000 network and other special conservation measures, such as those prescribed by international Species Action Plans. The European Commission’s “LIFE-Nature” programme has been invaluable in funding this work.

These successes show that the EU Birds Directive is a good, targeted, well-balanced, reasonably flexible instrument for bird conservation, also for the next 25 years and beyond.

By protecting birds, our common heritage, the Birds Directive acts in the broadest public interest, and helps the EU to achieve its target to halt the decline of biodiversity by 2010 (“Gothenburg target”) and to fulfil its obligations under international agreements, such as the global Convention on Biological Diversity (“Rio Convention”).

Special protection works, but more needs to be done

The graph shows that birds which are specially protected by the Birds Directive have benefited from this protection and have increased in numbers whilst farmland birds, which do not require special habitat conservation measures, have decreased dramatically and badly need more protection.