Dec. 17, 2012 — As millions of us post our
Christmas cards -- many of which star a robin red breast -- ecologists are
investigating whether birds make us happy. Speaking at this week's British
Ecological Society Annual Meeting, researchers will reveal how they are investigating
the links between birds and our well-being, and explain how their results --
due out next year -- could have a major impact on UK bird conservation.
There has been an increasing amount of research
on the health benefits of green spaces such as parks and nature reserves, but
we know far less about how the wildlife within these habitats contributes
towards well-being benefits.
Take wild birds for example says PhD student
Natalie Clark from the University of Reading, who is leading the study:
"Most of us say we enjoy seeing wild birds in our local environments every
day, be that the friendly robin visiting our garden each Christmas or ducks
swimming in the local pond. But we have little idea of how much we value their
presence and how they're contributing to our overall well-being."
Given the declining numbers of many bird species
the study -- which also involves the University of East Anglia, the RSPB and
the University of Chicago -- is timely. "Any well-being benefit we may be
receiving could soon be in jeopardy as numbers of many wild bird species have
declined across the UK since the 1970s," says Clark.
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