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Many Common US Songbirds are in decline (1 Viewer)

Jane Turner

Well-known member
Apologies if this has already been picked up.

Audubon's unprecedented analysis of forty years of citizen-science bird population data from our own Christmas Bird Count plus the Breeding Bird Survey reveals the alarming decline of many of our most common and beloved birds.

Since 1967 the average population of the common birds in steepest decline has fallen by 68 percent; some individual species nose-dived as much as 80 percent. All 20 birds on the national Common Birds in Decline list lost at least half their populations in just four decades.

The findings point to serious problems with both local habitats and national environmental trends. Only citizen action can make a difference for the birds and the state of our future.

http://stateofthebirds.audubon.org/CBID/
 
Apologies if this has already been picked up.

Audubon's unprecedented analysis of forty years of citizen-science bird population data from our own Christmas Bird Count plus the Breeding Bird Survey reveals the alarming decline of many of our most common and beloved birds.

Since 1967 the average population of the common birds in steepest decline has fallen by 68 percent; some individual species nose-dived as much as 80 percent. All 20 birds on the national Common Birds in Decline list lost at least half their populations in just four decades.

The findings point to serious problems with both local habitats and national environmental trends. Only citizen action can make a difference for the birds and the state of our future.

http://stateofthebirds.audubon.org/CBID/


I appreciate you're only copying from Audubon’s website, but I wonder why they put the bit: "only citizen action can make a difference for the birds and the state of our future". The causes of decline are noted as being suburban sprawl, industrial development, and the intensification of farming over the past 50 years. I bet the latter is by far the most important reason. I appreciate that citizen action, through for example consumer choice and / or green lobbying could make a difference, but I would have thought government policy would be far more influential? I believe the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 is due to expire in September of this year, presumably to be replaced by something else? I’m no expert on US agricultural policy, but I would have though that a higher profile agri-environment policy would be far more influential than citizen action.
 
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You are right Ilya - it was a just copy. However of course I now feel the need to debate the point. I guess it could be argued that while the biggest impact is caused by changes in agriculture, like in the UK, in the absence of some unlikely legislation, the most effective way to bring about a long term and sustainable change the weedkiller/pesticide/GM/monculture is consumer pressure.
 
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