Europe’s farmland birds continue to suffer from agricultural policy

02-12-2008

EU unlikely to meet its 2010 biodiversity target

According to the latest data from the European Bird Census Council (EBCC) and BirdLife International, many of Europe’s formerly 'common' farmland birds continue to suffer from the effects of agricultural intensification.

The updated European wild bird indicators, which were released on 2 December 2008, bring together the most comprehensive biodiversity data of their kind in Europe, collated by the Pan-European Common Bird Monitoring Scheme (PECBMS) – a partnership of leading ornithologists and statisticians from the European Bird Census Council, BirdLife International, the Royal Society for the Protection of the Birds (RSPB; BirdLife in the UK), and Statistics Netherlands. The indicators cover the period from 1980-2006, and have been recognised as a vital barometer of the state of biodiversity and the environment in general by the EU’s sustainable development strategy.

The ongoing loss of wildlife and the degradation of the wider environment have become a focus of public interest, as it is increasingly clear how much human well-being, economic development and food production are dependent on biodiversity-rich ecosystems, as well as our ability to deal with the effects of climate change. EU leaders have pledged to halt biodiversity loss in Europe by 2010, but a mid-term report expected from the European Commission in early December is likely to show that this target will not be met without drastic changes to EU and national policies, most notably in the field of agriculture.

While many rare and localised bird species have benefited from special protection under the EU’s Birds Directive and the Natura 2000 network, the new figures show what is happening to many species that are perceived as 'common and widespread'. Overall, the numbers of all common birds declined by around 10% between 1980 and 2006.

“We need to spend EU taxpayers’ money more sensibly" —Konstantin Kreiser, EU Policy Manager at the BirdLife International European Division

Common forest birds declined by a similar amount, but common farmland birds declined most severely, their average breeding populations in 2006 being around 50% lower than in 1980 – and there is no sign of recovery. The Eurasian Skylark Alauda arvensis is a typical example.

Farmland birds have suffered most in Western Europe, which has the longest history of agricultural intensification. The countries of central and eastern Europe, which joined the EU more recently (in 2004 or 2007), have not yet sustained such large losses of farmland birds, but their numbers are declining and are already much lower than in the 1980s.

Agricultural intensification, such as the loss of crop diversity, destruction of grasslands and hedgerows, and excessive use of pesticides and fertilizers, has been widely recognised as one of the main driving forces behind this dramatic decline of common farmland birds. Therefore, BirdLife reiterate their call to use the ongoing EU Budget Review to transform the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) into a sustainable land management and rural development policy. “We need to spend EU taxpayers’ money more sensibly – let’s support those farmers who maintain a healthy, thriving rural environment, and let’s stop distributing unjustified and environmentally harmful subsidies”, said Konstantin Kreiser, EU Policy Manager at BirdLife International.

"National monitoring schemes are a crucial source of data for European wild bird indicators" —Dr Richard Gregory, Chairman of the EBCC

As well as updating the indicators regularly, the PECBMS strives to improve the quality of the underlying data by helping European countries to develop or improve their national common bird monitoring schemes. The new PECBMS publication, ‘A Best Practice Guide for Wild Bird Monitoring Schemes’, which was also launched on 2 December, represents another step towards improving the quality of bird monitoring schemes, many of which have already achieved high scientific standards.

Dr Richard Gregory, Chairman of the EBCC, concluded: “National monitoring schemes are a crucial source of data for European wild bird indicators, so great importance is attached to maintaining and where possible improving their performance and data quality. Long-term funding from national governments is crucial for supporting this essential work, which offers excellent value for money because most of the data are collected by skilled volunteers.”

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Credits: BirdLife in Europe