Chris Monk
Well-known member
Extinction of 31 bird species has been prevented through efforts of conservators, research shows
Helen O'Brien
Friday August 25, 2006
The Guardian
Conservation efforts have prevented the extinction of 31 bird species globally over the past 30 years, according to the most detailed analysis of conservation success ever conducted.
The species brought back from the brink include the Bali starling, Chatham Island taiko and northern bald ibis, as well as the California condor, which numbered just nine birds in 1994. The researchers conclude that it is possible to save species with concerted action and sufficient political will.
"The main thing is that we are making a significant impact," said Ana Rodrigues, a conservation scientist at Cambridge University. "Usually we only see the bad picture, which makes us feel that what we are doing is useless."
The researchers looked at 170 bird species classified as critically endangered in 1994, and 73 others that would have been classified as critically endangered had more information been available at the time. Of these, they believe 16 would very probably have gone extinct without conservation efforts.
They also named 10 species which had been saved from extinction before 1994, and five species which are now believed to exist only in captivity. "We attempted to judge from the intensity and impact of the measures used, and from the trend in population, what would have happened had the threats not been mitigated," said lead researcher Stuart Butchart, at Cambridge-based BirdLife International, a global partnership of national conservation organisations, including the RSPB. "In none of the cases were [the populations] naturally bouncing back."
The turnaround in the fortunes of the birds studied has been dramatic: 14 of the 16 species saved since 1994 are still recovering but conservationists have managed only to slow the decline of the other two. In the case of the California condor, the birds faced poisoning from eating carcasses killed with lead shot, and death from flying into power lines. A captive breeding and release effort has boosted the population to 128. Bali starlings are a status symbol in Indonesia, which makes them a target for poachers in their last remaining home, Bali Barat national park. In 2002 there were an estimated six birds in the wild, but captive-bred birds are now being released to bolster the native population - a perilous 24 individuals.
Roger Wilkinson, director of conservation and science at Chester Zoo, which has four Bali starlings, said: "There is no problem maintaining large populations in zoos, but enforcement is insufficient to prevent further poaching in the wild." All the birds released in Bali were fitted with microchips and some have been found on sale in captive bird markets. "The numbers saved are a tiny drop in the ocean of species threatened with extinction," said Dr Butchart. The 16 identified in this study represented only about 1% of the 1,212 species threatened with extinction.
Helen O'Brien
Friday August 25, 2006
The Guardian
Conservation efforts have prevented the extinction of 31 bird species globally over the past 30 years, according to the most detailed analysis of conservation success ever conducted.
The species brought back from the brink include the Bali starling, Chatham Island taiko and northern bald ibis, as well as the California condor, which numbered just nine birds in 1994. The researchers conclude that it is possible to save species with concerted action and sufficient political will.
"The main thing is that we are making a significant impact," said Ana Rodrigues, a conservation scientist at Cambridge University. "Usually we only see the bad picture, which makes us feel that what we are doing is useless."
The researchers looked at 170 bird species classified as critically endangered in 1994, and 73 others that would have been classified as critically endangered had more information been available at the time. Of these, they believe 16 would very probably have gone extinct without conservation efforts.
They also named 10 species which had been saved from extinction before 1994, and five species which are now believed to exist only in captivity. "We attempted to judge from the intensity and impact of the measures used, and from the trend in population, what would have happened had the threats not been mitigated," said lead researcher Stuart Butchart, at Cambridge-based BirdLife International, a global partnership of national conservation organisations, including the RSPB. "In none of the cases were [the populations] naturally bouncing back."
The turnaround in the fortunes of the birds studied has been dramatic: 14 of the 16 species saved since 1994 are still recovering but conservationists have managed only to slow the decline of the other two. In the case of the California condor, the birds faced poisoning from eating carcasses killed with lead shot, and death from flying into power lines. A captive breeding and release effort has boosted the population to 128. Bali starlings are a status symbol in Indonesia, which makes them a target for poachers in their last remaining home, Bali Barat national park. In 2002 there were an estimated six birds in the wild, but captive-bred birds are now being released to bolster the native population - a perilous 24 individuals.
Roger Wilkinson, director of conservation and science at Chester Zoo, which has four Bali starlings, said: "There is no problem maintaining large populations in zoos, but enforcement is insufficient to prevent further poaching in the wild." All the birds released in Bali were fitted with microchips and some have been found on sale in captive bird markets. "The numbers saved are a tiny drop in the ocean of species threatened with extinction," said Dr Butchart. The 16 identified in this study represented only about 1% of the 1,212 species threatened with extinction.
