The situation continues to deteriorate for birds, a sign of a broader crisis of life: nearly half of the species are in decline in the world and one in eight is threatened with extinction, under pressure in particular from agriculture. .
In a landmark report published on Wednesday, the international NGO BirdLife paints a "deeply worrying" picture of the state of bird populations around the world.
Extinction soon?
“One in eight bird species is at risk of extinction, and the state of bird populations around the world continues to deteriorate as species move ever closer to extinction,” BirdLife writes.
The majority of species that are not yet threatened are in decline.
Thus the populations of 49% of the species (i.e. 5,412) are in decline, 38% (4,234) are stable and only 6% (659) are on the rise.
These figures show an acceleration compared to the last report published four years ago.
In 2018, about 40% of species appeared to be in decline.
Overall degradation
But the health of birds is important because it is also a good indicator of the state of nature in general, say specialists.
“We just have to look at the birds and we have a fairly accurate photograph of the overall degradation of living things,” explains Cédric Marteau.
France is also concerned, especially overseas, where species are threatened with extinction.
This is the case for example in Polynesia where there are only five pairs left of the monarch of Fatu Hiva, close to the blackbird.
“The declines are not limited to rare and endangered species.
Populations of some common and widely distributed species are also in rapid decline.
Planet
Arctic wolf cloned by Chinese researchers
Did you see ?
India: A cobra discovered in the bag of a schoolgirl
Planet
Bird
Wildlife
Environment