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State of the World’s Birds 2022

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The latest edition of BirdLife's flagship science publication provides insights from birds on the biodiversity crisis and the solutions needed.


This fifth edition of BirdLife’s flagship State of the World’s Birds report summarises what birds, as barometers for planetary health, can tell us about the state of nature, the pressures upon it, and the solutions in place and needed. The data paint a deeply concerning picture – nearly half of all bird species are in decline, with more than one in eight at risk of extinction. The pressures causing these declines are well understood, and the vast majority are driven by human actions. The challenges to conservation are escalating, and time is running out. The coming years will be the ‘critical decade’ to act.

Fortunately, birds also tell us what actions are needed to help nature to recover, and show us that conservation action works. The report details many examples of species being saved from extinction, populations recovering, threats managed and ecosystems restored. The Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework is the world’s best and perhaps last chance to halt the loss of nature. This time, governments must succeed where they have previously failed, by translating their promises into substantive action. Our future, and that of the world’s birds, depends on it.