FOR MANY, HOPE IS FADING… Juan Fernandez Firecrown © Kevin D. Mack; www.rarebirdsyearbook.com BirdLife International Wellbrook Court Girton Road Cambridge, CB3 0NA United Kingdom … HELP US BUILD A BRIGHTER FUTURE THE BIRDLIFE PREVENTING EXTINCTIONS PROGRAMME ‘We have no right to exterminate BirdLife International is a global conservation partnership and the world’s leading authority With so many species in crisis, BirdLife on birds and their habitats. With Partners in over 100 countries and territories, we work International is acting now and has launched the species that evolved without across borders and without politics. Our unique structure, and 10 million supporters a major new initiative: the BirdLife Preventing worldwide, put us in a position to really make a difference. Extinctions Programme. This is spearheading us. We have the responsibility to greater conservation action, awareness and THE NEED TO SAVE THE WORLD’S and pollination. Protecting and conserving funding support for all of the world’s most do everything we can to preserve MOST THREATENED BIRDS their habitats benefits nature as a whole threatened birds. One in eight species of bird is threatened and is valuable for people and communities, their continued existence.’ with extinction and the number continues ensuring crucial ecosystem services, such Central to the new programme is the development of two new communities; Sir David Attenborough to rise thanks to habitat destruction, climate as flood defences and water quality, are Honorary Patron of the BirdLife change and invasive species. maintained. BirdLife Species Guardians, experts who Rare Bird Club and BirdLife Species will take the lead in conserving threatened Champion for Araripe Manakin. Birds have immense biological and economic The fate of the birds is the fate of the earth; species in their country and BirdLife Species value, providing benefits such as pest control the fate of the earth is the fate of humanity. Champions, organisations or individuals who will raise awareness for and fund the vital conservation that is so urgently required. Lear’s Macaws © Adriano Gambarini; www.rarebirdsyearbook.com FOR SOME, THE FUTURE IS BLEAK THE THREATS FACING BIRDS In spite of having the ability to flourish in Many species of albatross are now some of the most hostile places on earth, threatened with extinction because ALREADY LOST FOREVER: 1,226 species of bird face extinction. That’s they are unintentionally killed by • Slender-billed Grackle, 1910 12% of the total 9,856 bird species in the commercial longline fisheries. world. One hundred and ninety of them • Red-moustached Fruit-dove, 1922 have been classified as Critically Endangered, Climate change is fast becoming another • Thick-billed Ground-dove, 1927 © Marco Lambertini, BirdLife the highest threat category. If we don’t act major threat adding yet more pressure. now, we could lose them within 10 years. A total of 24 Critically Endangered species • Hawaiian Oo; one of four honey- are threatened by climate change and the eaters to become extinct after Birds are now facing a wider range of threats associated severe weather, primarily storms Europeans arrived, 1934 than ever before, almost entirely as a result © Graham Robertson, Australian Antarctic Division Australian © Graham Robertson, and flooding, that it generates. This is a trend of human activity. • Laughing Owl, 1960s that looks set to increase in the near future • Alaotra Grebe; became extinct in Agriculture, logging and invasive species are as species face shifts in range, loss of habitat Madagascar owing to fishing and the most severe threats, respectively affecting to rising sea levels, storms, droughts, and introduced carnivorous fish, 1988 87%, 55% and 51% of globally threatened changes in the marine ecosystem. The loss of tropical forests, and bird species. These threats cause stresses particularly lowland forests such as these • Po’o-uli; a honeycreeper, presumed on bird populations in a range of ways, in Indonesia, represents one of the extinct in Hawaii through habitat the most common being habitat destruction destruction and disease-carrying greatest threats to global bird diversity. and degradation, which affect 93% of mosquitoes, 2004 threatened species. Spoon-billed Sandpiper © Nial Moores, Birds Korea PAINSTAKING, RIGOROUS WORK GETS RESULTS THE SCIENCE OF SAVING SPECIES BirdLife International is not only widely recognised as a world leader in identifying global conservation priorities, it is also regarded as a leading scientific body. Our unswerving Key focuses include: commitment to painstaking data-gathering and rigorous analysis, international field projects • Site protection and expert consultation ensures that best practice conservation measures are always put in place. • Site management • Invasive species control CLASSIFYING THREAT STATUS VITAL WORK REVEALS THE DANGERS • Species recovery BirdLife is the Red List Authority for birds As well as classifying the conservation status for the International Union for Conservation of each species, the BirdLife International • Captive breeding of Nature (IUCN) Red List. Species are Partnership works around the world on • Reintroduction assigned to Red List categories depending projects such as site protection and • National legislation on population size, population trend, range management, control of invasive alien species, size and other parameters. By constantly habitat restoration and reintroduction, and • Habitat restoration monitoring trends, BirdLife International improving people’s livelihoods. • Habitat protection plays an important role in identifying the • Awareness raising and communication planet’s greatest conservation challenges. Finding and monitoring many threatened species is notoriously difficult but without The IUCN Red List currently includes the vital research work undertaken by the species such as White-rumped Vulture. The BirdLife Partnership, we simply wouldn’t be The data we generate about species, sites and BIRDS AS INDICATORS Changes in the numbers and distribution of CONSERVATION DOES WORK population in India has plunged by 99.9% aware of the enormous numbers of birds habitats set the benchmark for monitoring Birds are acutely sensitive indicators of the birds are used to measure environmental By gathering and analysing data, BirdLife is since 1992 and is still dropping by more than disappearing. the world’s birds and other biodiversity, and health of the environment. They have been fluctuations, including pollution, climate ensuring that scarce resources are being 40% per year. Consequently, this species was demonstrate our achievements in pursuit of studied extensively for many years, which change or habitat degradation, and whether channelled where they will make the most uplisted to Critically Endangered in 2000. a more sustainable world. means there is a huge amount of data land uses, such as intensive farming or difference. As a direct result of this work, covering all of the world’s bird species. This forestry, are environmentally sustainable. many species have been saved from also makes them useful for gauging priorities extinction by timely intervention backed for other animals and plants. This is vital in by appropriate resources and political will. a world where so little is known about the majority of biodiversity. White-rumped Vulture © Arpit Deomurari; www.rarebirdsyearbook.com REASONS FOR OPTIMISM PROOF THAT CONSERVATION GETS RESULTS AGAINST ALL THE ODDS In the 10 years between 1994 and 2004, the extinction of 16 species was prevented as a direct result of targeted conservation; here are just a few examples by the BirdLife International Partnership: © Hugh Robertson, Dept. of Conservation © Hugh Robertson, Dept. © Pete Morris; www.rarebirdsyearbook.com Morris; © Pete © Jean Paul Tilly; www.rarebirdsyearbook.com Tilly; © Jean Paul NORTHERN RAROTONGA MARQUESAN SEYCHELLES BALD IBIS MONARCH IMPERIAL-PIGEON MAGPIE-ROBIN This species underwent a long-term decline Endemic to the Cook Islands in the Pacific, Endemic to the Marquesas Islands in French This species qualified for downlisting in 2000 and now has an extremely small population, by 1932 the population was no more than Polynesia, until 2000 this species was only as a result of work to control invasive alien with over 95% of wild birds concentrated in 50 individuals. A recovery plan initiated in the known to exist on the island of Nuku Hiva. predators, restore its habitat, translocation one subpopulation in Morocco. Numbers are 1980s by Te Ipakurea Society, which includes However, it has now been downlisted to other islands, and supplementary feeding. currently increasing owing to management the control of rats, has improved breeding from Critically Endangered following the Led by Nature Seychelles, these actions actions and consequent improved breeding success and decreased mortality among adults. translocation of individuals to a new island have resulted in reduced threats and success thanks to work by SEO/BirdLife The population had grown to 291 by 2006. and establishment of a second population increased numbers. and RSPB. by MANU. Seychelles Magpie-robin © Simon Stirrup; www.simonstirrup.co.uk A NEW ERA NEEDS NEW SOLUTIONS THE BIRDLIFE INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE TO THE THREAT OF EXTINCTION Bird species are disappearing faster than ever SIGNS THE TIDE IS ALREADY TURNING… before. One hundred and ninety species are These 10 measures alone will go a long Many threatened birds are disappearing fast. facing the threat of imminent extinction.