July 2nd,
2019
The
populations of a host of birds, including iconic species such as the Barn Owl
and Curlew, have been “decimated” over the past few decades, BirdWatch Ireland
has said.
Speaking before
the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Heritage today, BWI’s assistant head of
policy and advocacy Oonagh Duggan said that climate change, the intensification
of the agricultural industry, habitat loss, and plastic pollution are all
contributing to the decline in numerous terrestrial and sea birds.
Celebrating
its 50th anniversary this year, Ms Duggan said that the conservation charity
has seen “dramatic changes” to both Ireland’s landscape and biodiversity over
the past half century.
Ms Duggan
said that one in five of species that have been assessed on our island are now
threatened with extinction, with “dramatic changes” particularly evident in
bird populations.
While
some bird species are quite adaptable to habitat change, she warned that many
are seeing such a rapid loss of their habitats that they “cannot cope with the
change, and their populations have been decimated”.
Waterbirds
For
example, Ms Duggan said, Ireland has lost around 40 per cent of waterbirds –
close to half a million birds – that migrate to Ireland in less than 20 years.
This includes a decline in over half of the 15 wader species that winter here,
such as Lapwing that is down 67 per cent.
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