– It is going in the wrong direction. Birds are important indicator species for how the ecosystem is doing. It is a good indication of how we have not managed to reverse the development of the nature of the world. Martin Eggen is a nature conservation advisor at Birdlife Norway. Over several years, he has seen the population of various birds decline. Six years after the last foot on the ground, the situation has in no way improved. 40 percent of Norway’s bird species are on the red list, and it is not much better in the world. According to a new international report, one in eight bird species in the world is threatened with extinction. Most populations of species that do not have the status of threatened with extinction are in decline. – Seabirds have struggled for many decades. Half are red-listed and have had a major decline. Degrading nature The latest thing in Norway is that we see that waders are struggling, such as redshanks and terns. – They are associated with wetlands, which we are not good enough to take care of, says Eggen. What characterizes wading birds is that they nest in wetlands. Eggen says that the downsizing of such areas, and that they are replaced by intensified agriculture and forestry, is the reason for the decline. – In the past it was hunting and trapping that threatened the birds, but now it is mostly changes to the landscape and environment that are the biggest threat to the birds. This is largely the reason why we have lost 70 percent of the world’s bird and animal population in the last 50 years. The wading bird that struggles the most is the vipa. There is speculation as to whether this is the next species to disappear from Norway as a breeding bird. Photo: Rolf Jørn Fjærbu Concern for the seabird In the last century, 180 species have become extinct. Most due to man-made causes. But the fact that we are behind the gloomy statistics also means that we are sitting with the solution. – What the report also addresses is that we manage to save many species from extinction through purposeful measures, says Eggen. Among other things, the brushhane wader has been downgraded from “highly threatened” to “vulnerable”. But it is the “common” species that are becoming more rare, says Eggen. – There are species that are known and loved by people. Barn owl, starling, most species that nest on the ground in connection with agriculture. – We close down a lot of farms, but some of those that are left, farm intensively and destroy natural elements and drain ponds. We see the same in the rest of the world. – What can we do? – Norway wants us to protect 30 percent of the world’s nature. Then it must also apply to ourselves. We have only protected 17 percent. Protection has gone on in many mountain areas, but we have a large backlog in marine protection, on nature in the lowlands such as wetlands and riparian areas. 34 municipalities in Norway are working to become so-called area neutral, says Eggen. He believes this is important to preserve nature for future generations. – Over time, a lot of important nature disappears in small interventions, since it doesn’t seem so important here and there. But over time it becomes a lot. This is about road building, drainage, hut building, cultivation, and so on. That is why becoming area neutral is so important. Seabirds in free fall Tycho Anker-Nilssen is a senior researcher at NINA, and has extensive expertise on seabirds in Norway. – In practice, almost two out of three seabirds in Norway are on the red list, and this is a very worrying development. Anker-Nilssen has been monitoring seabirds since the 80s and tells of a drastic decline. On the international red list, the seabird is the bird group that is struggling the most. – Many populations are almost in free fall, he says. Despite the fact that scientists know a lot, many questions still remain. – It is urgent to get the research done to explain what is behind the decline, and adds: – We have to uncover the effects of the man-made factors that affect the seabirds, and it is a very complex picture. It is the sum of those influences that is the challenge for the seabird.
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One of eight bird species in the world is threatened with extinction – news Nordland
