Report on the state of the
world’s birds reveals a biodiversity crisis driven by intensive farming, with
once-common species such as puffins and snowy owls now at risk
Mon 23 Apr
2018 00.01 BSTLast modified on Mon 23 Apr 2018 09.40 BST
One in eight bird species is
threatened with global extinction, and once widespread creatures such as the
puffin, snowy owl and turtle dove are plummeting towards oblivion, according to
the definitive study of global bird populations.
The State
of the World’s Birds, a five-year compendium of population data from
the best-studied group of animals on the planet, reveals a biodiversity crisis
driven by the expansion and intensification of agriculture.
In all, 74% of 1,469 globally
threatened birds are affected primarily by farming. Logging, invasive species
and hunting are the other main threats.
“Each time we undertake this
assessment we see slightly more species at risk of extinction – the situation
is deteriorating and the trends are intensifying,” said Tris Allinson, senior
global science officer for BirdLife
International, which produced the report. “The species at risk of
extinction were once on mountaintops or remote islands, such as the pink
pigeon in Mauritius. Now we’re seeing once widespread and
familiar species – European turtle doves, Atlantic puffins and kittiwakes –
under threat of global extinction.”
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