Songbirds and Sustainable Land-use

Millions of songbirds migrate across the Sahara to travel between Europe and Africa each year. These birds require landscapes which offer suitable and sufficient habitat in which to feed and rest during their migrations. Managing landscapes in a sustainable way to ensure the availability of these habitats is key to songbird conservation.

Songbird Threats

Although migratory songbirds may appear widespread, they are highly vulnerable to changes in the wider landscape including agricultural intensification, desertification, deforestation and climate change. In addition, many songbirds migrate on broad fronts, flying straight across the Mediterranean in large numbers at predictable times of year - exposing them to targeted hunting and trapping. However, scientists are only just beginning to understand the numerous threats posed to migratory songbird.

Silent Spring

Many long-distance migrants are showing dramatic population declines. The nature of the threats to songbirds means that their conservation can only be achieved by addressing the underlying causes of environmental degradation such as unsustainable agricultural and forestry policies, human dependency on fossil fuels, and poverty.

 

S Baha El Din/BirdLife A collection of trapped songbirds Zoom In

Illegal Hunting

BirdLife has had considerable success in addressing illegal and indiscriminate hunting - particularly in the Mediterranean - and advocates the full implementation of European Union law. More…

European Land-use

BirdLife has long campaigned for reform and modernisation of the Common Agricultural Policy in Europe. We’re seeking to move the CAP from a policy that has driven degradation of habitats and biodiversity loss, to one that supports farming that is environmentally sustainable. BirdLife is also promoting the sustainable management of temperate and tropical forests. More…

Climate Change

Climate change threatens to undermine BirdLife’s mission to conserve all birds, their habitats and global biodiversity. In response, the BirdLife Partnership is developing a detailed programme of work to combat climate change with a simple message: climate change is global in its causes and consequences and potentially disastrous for life on earth; we must act together and act now to mitigate against it and adapt to it. More…

Desertification

A number of BirdLife Partners in Africa are striving to combat desertification in the Sahel – a huge natural barrier to songbirds which is growing each year. BirdLife action includes working with the UN Convention on Combating Desertification, whilst also demonstrating practical local action to reverse desertification. More…

 

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