Tris Allinson Flashcards
State of the world’s birds
taking the pulse of the planet
Information from birds can tell us a great deal
about the state of the living world more generally.
- Bird taxonomy is well known and relatively stable
- Bird distribution, behaviour and ecology is much better know than other comparable taxa
- Birds are widespread, occurring almost everywhere
- Many bird species are specialised and have specific habitat requirements
- Birds are mobile and responsive to environmental change
- There are enough bird species to show meaningful patterns, yet not so many as to be too challenging
- Birds are readily surveyed
- Birds are unparalleled in their popularity—with local experts in every corner of the world
4-year report
Assigning species using systematic criterion approach.
11,126 species occured since 1500
13% of all species are threatened by extinction, 20% are of significant global concern 56 spp are data deficient
More sedentary taxa are
more vulnerable
Longer-lived species
take longer to recover
Yellow-breasted bunting 15 years ago was least concern
now critically endangered
Agricultural impacts, logging (especially small scale), invasive species
hunting and trapping
climate change antagonizes other problems Donught economics Kate Raworth
Conservation stops extinction
At least twenty-six bird species have been brought back
from the brink of extinction so far this century
Invasive species have been the major cause of bird extinctions since 1500
Invasive species continue to have a devastating impact on native birds around the world. Rats and cats have had by far the greatest effect, threatening the survival of hundreds of bird species worldwide.
Rats and mice, domestic cat and dog
More than 100 bird species are predicted to become extinct based on current farming practices, according to a new global analysis.
Providing enough food for the 13% of the world’s people who suffer from hunger would require raising world supplies by just 1%.
Globally, there is a trend toward diets high in calories, protein and animal-based foods. Today, two-and-a-half times more people
are overweight than undernourished, and the
average global citizen’s daily protein consumption is more than one-third higher than needed.
12-38 million
individual birds are killed illegally every year in the Mediterranean and neighbouring areas
Many species face multiple and synergistic threats
For instance, climate change will exacerbate the threat to Hawaiian endemic birds posed by introduced diseases by reducing the area of malaria-free habitat at higher altitudes.
The enormity of tackling the biodiversity crisis can seem overwhelming—however, we know many of the actions that are needed and, for birds, there are numerous inspiring success stories that demonstrate that, given sufficient resources and political will, species can recover and habitats can be restored.
Site protection Habitat restoration Species recovery Captive breeding & reintroduction Controlling harvest & trade Education and awareness Legislation Livelihood, economic & other incentives
McCarthy et al. (2012) Financial Costs of Meeting Global Biodiversity Conservation Targets: Current Spending and Unmet Needs. Science 338: 946–949.
The cost of conservation
The total value of ecosystem services delivered by nature each year $22-74 trillion.
$1,900 billion is spent annually on fossil fuel subsidies.
$1,753 billion is spent annually on the military.
An annual investment of US$80 billion is needed to safeguard nature – i.e. meet internationally agreed targets for preventing the extinction of globally threatened species and protected important sites for nature.
