BIRDLIFE INTERNATIONAL MEDIA RELEASE

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1 BIRDLIFE INTERNATIONAL MEDIA RELEASE MORE OF EUROPE S BIRDS IN TROUBLE, SAYS BIRDLIFE INTERNATIONAL The number of bird species in trouble across Europe is rising, warns BirdLife International [1] The latest assessment, published in BirdLife s new in-depth study, Birds in Europe, reveals that 226 species of birds 43 per cent of all those occurring regularly in Europe are facing an uncertain future. [2] Many are declining, rare or localised, whilst populations of others remain heavily depleted following huge declines suffered during the 1970s and 80s. Some are now so threatened that they may disappear from parts of Europe in the very near future. [3] In the ten years since the publication of BirdLife s original Birds in Europe study, 45 bird species have declined in numbers and now have an unfavourable conservation status. [4] However, it is not all bad news. 14 bird species have seen their fortunes improve; thanks, in part, to concentrated conservation efforts. Birds in Europe will be launched in the Netherlands on Monday 8 November, at a conference celebrating the 25 th anniversary of the European Union s Birds Directive, along with its sister publication, Birds in the European Union, which looks specifically at how the EU has done in bird conservation. [5,6] The publications, which span the whole of Europe from Greenland to Georgia and from the Canary Islands to Russia, assess population sizes and trends for all of Europe s wild birds from 52 European countries or territories. Birds in the EU deals solely with the 25 Member States of the European Union. Across Europe, many bird species have begun to decline alarmingly. [7] Of particular 1

2 concern are: Wading birds, including Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago), Eurasian Curlew (Numenius arquata) and Northern Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus), are declining rapidly, largely because of drainage of lowland river valleys and upland habitat Migratory birds wintering in sub-saharan Africa, including Wood Warbler (Phylloscopus sibilatrix), Northern Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe) and Northern House Martin (Delichon urbica) Farmland birds including Corn Bunting (Miliaria calandra), Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus) and Eurasian Linnet (Carduelis cannabina) Familiar urban birds including the House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) and Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) However, the new assessment does provide some welcome news, too. Better protection, partly as a result of the European Union's Birds Directive, has led to increases in the Audouin's Gull (Larus audouinii) formerly one the continent's most threatened seabirds. Other winners include the Eurasian Griffon (Gyps fulvus) and the White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) two of Europe's largest birds of prey. "Conservation works. The increases in Audouin's Gull and Eurasian Griffon numbers reflect the considerable attention given to these priority species. The European Union and conservation groups are right to celebrate the 25 th anniversary of the Birds Directive today, but everyone must remain level-headed. The struggles facing many of Europe s birds are immense." "The European Union has promised to halt the loss of wildlife in Europe by The latest Birds in Europe assessment highlights the sheer enormity of that task. The third assessment, already planned for ten years time, will reveal to the world whether the EU has kept its word or broken its promise." BirdLife International s Director, Mike Rands, said: "The fact that more birds in Europe face an uncertain future compared with a decade ago is deeply worrying. Birds are excellent environmental indicators and the continued decline of many species sends a clear signal about the health of Europe s wildlife and the poor state of our environment." ENDS 2

3 For further information and to arrange an interview, please contact: Grahame Madge, RSPB press officer, UK, , mob: Richard Thomas, BirdLife International press officer, UK, , mob: Ian Burfield, compiler of Birds in Europe, The Netherlands, , Konstantin Kreiser, compiler of Birds in the European Union, Brussels, Michael Borch Grell, Biolog, Afdelingsleder Naturfaglig Afdeling, Dansk Ornitologisk Forening, Vesterbrogade , 1620 Kbh. V. Tlf , Photographs and Species Case Studies Photographs for one-off press use, and case studies of bird species that have fared particularly well or badly, can be found on the BirdLife International web site at Notes for Editors 1. BirdLife International is a partnership of people working together for birds and the environment. It promotes sustainable living as a means of conserving birds and all other forms of biodiversity and is the leading authority on the status of birds and their habitats. Over 10 million people support the BirdLife Partnership of national non-governmental conservation organisations and local networks. 2. Birds in Europe: population estimates, trends and conservation status, published by BirdLife International (2004), is the second review of the conservation status of all wild birds in Europe. Like its 1994 predecessor, Birds in Europe, it identifies priority species (known as Species of European Conservation Concern or SPECs) in order that conservation action can be taken to improve their status. 3. The most high-profile European bird extinction is the Great Auk (Pinguinus impennis), a flightless seabird found breeding on rocky islets across the North Atlantic. The last known pair were killed on Eldey Island, Iceland, in 1844, and the last live bird was seen off the Newfoundland Banks in Compared to the situation in other continents especially in the tropics Europe holds relatively few species at risk of a similar fate However, a number of European species are now declining so fast or have such small populations that, without immediate action, they may well disappear in the near future. These include:. Sociable Lapwing (Vanellus gregarius), a wader related to the common (but also declining) Northern Lapwing, which breeds only in south-west Russia and Kakakhstan. It has declined so rapidly that there may be as few as 600 individuals left in the wild. Mediterranean Shearwater (Puffinus mauretanicus), a seabird which breeds only on the Balearic Islands in the western Mediterranean. It numbers as few as 1,650 pairs and is declining fast. Azores Bullfinch (Pyrrhula murina), a relative of the common Eurasian Bullfinch, which breeds on only one small island in the Atlantic. It numbers fewer than 240 individuals, has a global range of less than 50 sq km, and also seems to be declining. 4. In Birds in Europe (2004), each of the 524 species assessed is assigned to one of five categories: SPEC 1, birds of global conservation concern (40 species, 7.6 per cent); SPEC 2, species with an unfavourable European conservation status and with more than 3

4 half of the global breeding or wintering population concentrated in Europe (45 species, 8.6 per cent); SPEC 3, species with an unfavourable European conservation status but with less than half of the global breeding or wintering population concentrated in Europe (141 species, 26.9 per cent); Non-SPEC E, species with a favourable European conservation status but with more than half of the global breeding or wintering population concentrated in Europe; Non-SPEC, species with a favourable European conservation status and with less than half of the breeding or wintering population concentrated in Europe. 5. The EU Birds Directive (Directive on the conservation of wild birds, 79/409/EEC) was adopted in 1979 by nine Member States, and was the first EU Directive on nature conservation. Since its adoption it has been a vital legal instrument for the conservation of all birds that occur naturally across the EU, acting in the broadest public interest to conserve Europe s natural heritage for present and future generations. Together with the definitions and objectives of the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), adopted in 1992, it offers useful legal conceptual models and a set of standards and norms in common use. The Birds Directive applies to all 25 EU countries since May The Birds Directive is a primary tool for delivering against EU obligations under global Conventions, including the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Ramsar and Bonn Conventions and the WWSD plan of implementation. Apart from its global obligations the EU has further committed itself to halting biodiversity decline by In 2004 the Birds Directive has its 25 th anniversary. 6. Birds in the European Union: a status assessment (BirdLife International 2004). This 50- page report is a policy and advocacy publication, analysing the situation of wild birds within the enlarged EU (EU25) with special reference to the impact the Birds Directive has had in its first 25 years. 7. The following list gives the number (by country) of regularly nesting species of wild bird species considered to have an unfavourable conservation status: Albania 96 species (43% of the country s 224 breeding wild bird species) Andorra 37 species (33% of the country s 111 breeding wild bird species) Armenia 95 species (42% of the country s 225 breeding wild bird species) Austria 79 species (36% of the country s 217 breeding wild bird species) Azerbaijan 107 species (42% of the country s 253 breeding wild bird species) Belarus 87 species (40% of the country s 220 breeding wild bird species) Belgium 63 species (34% of the country s 183 breeding wild bird species) Bosnia & Herzegovina 62 species (39% of the country s 158 breeding wild bird species) Bulgaria 110 species (42% of the country s 260 breeding wild bird species) Croatia 100 species (41% of the country s 246 breeding wild bird species) Cyprus 41 species (44% of the country s 94 breeding wild bird species) Czech Republic 77 species (37% of the country s 209 breeding wild bird species) Denmark 70 species (35% of the country s 201 breeding wild bird species) Faroe Islands 19 species (27% of the country s 70 breeding wild bird species) Greenland 15 species (24% of the country s 63 breeding wild bird species) Estonia 79 species (36% of the country s 222 breeding wild bird species) Finland 76 species (31% of the country s 247 breeding wild bird species) France 116 species (41% of the country s 281 breeding wild bird species) Georgia 106 species (43% of the country s 246 breeding wild bird species) Germany 92 species (36% of the country s 253 breeding wild bird species) Greece 108 species (43% of the country s 252 breeding wild bird species) Hungary 92 species (43% of the country s 214 breeding wild bird species) Iceland 30 species (36% of the country s 84 breeding wild bird species) Ireland 47 species (31% of the country s 151 breeding wild bird species) Italy 104 species (42% of the country s 250 breeding wild bird species) Latvia 80 species (37% of the country s 218 breeding wild bird species) Liechtenstein 34 species (27% of the country s 128 breeding wild bird species) Lithuania 79 species (39% of the country s 205 breeding wild bird species) Luxembourg 47 species (34% of the country s 137 breeding wild bird species) Macedonia 96 species (42% of the country s 230 breeding wild bird species) 4

5 Malta 16 species (46% of the country s 35 breeding wild bird species) Moldova 76 species (45% of the country s 170 breeding wild bird species) Netherlands 70 species (35% of the country s 198 breeding wild bird species) Norway 72 species (31% of the country s 234 breeding wild bird species) Svalbard 11 species (24% of the country s 45 breeding wild bird species) Poland 89 species (38% of the country s 234 breeding wild bird species) Portugal 95 species (47% of the country s 201 breeding wild bird species) Azores 14 species (45% of the country s 31 breeding wild bird species) Madeira 20 species (49% of the country s 41 breeding wild bird species) Romania 106 species (42% of the country s 252 breeding wild bird species) Russia 163 species (40% of the country s 403 breeding wild bird species) Serbia & Montenegro 103 species (42% of the country s 247 breeding wild bird species) Slovakia 86 species (40% of the country s 216 breeding wild bird species) Slovenia 71 species (36% of the country s 199 breeding wild bird species) Spain 119 species (46% of the country s 261 breeding wild bird species) Canary Islands 39 species (51% of the country s 77 breeding wild bird species) Sweden 85 species (34% of the country s 252 breeding wild bird species) Switzerland 62 species (33% of the country s 189 breeding wild bird species) Turkey 148 species (46% of the country s 319 breeding wild bird species) Ukraine 118 species (43% of the country s 272 breeding wild bird species) United Kingdom 70 species (33% of the country s 210 breeding wild bird species) Gibraltar 10 species (32% of the country s 31 breeding wild bird species) 5