The State of the World’s Migratory Species Report, released last month, shows Migratory birds are getting less and less.
The report reveals that the populations of nearly half of all listed bird species by the Convention on Migratory species are declining, despite their protected status.
The report,a first of its kind, reveals that while some migratory species listed under CMS are improving, nearly half (44 per cent) are showing population declines.
More than one-in-five (22 per cent) of CMS-listed species are threatened with extinction.
Half (51 per cent) of Key Biodiversity Areas identified as important for CMS-listed migratory animals do not have protected status, and 58 per cent of the monitored sites recognized as being important for CMS-listed species are experiencing unsustainable levels of human-caused pressure.
The two greatest threats to both CMS-listed and all migratory species are overexploitation and habitat loss due to human activity.
Three out of four CMS-listed species are impacted by habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation, and seven out of ten CMS-listed species are impacted by overexploitation (including intentional taking as well as incidental capture).
Climate change, pollution and invasive species are also having profound impacts on migratory species.
Globally, 399 migratory species that are threatened or near threatened with extinction, are not currently listed under CMS.
Until now, no such comprehensive assessment on migratory species has been carried out. The report provides a global overview of the conservation status and population trends of migratory animals, combined with the latest information on their main threats and successful actions to save them.
Inger Andersen, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme said: “The report sets out the evidence that unsustainable human activities are jeopardizing the future of migratory species, creatures who not only act as indicators of environmental change but play an integral role in maintaining the function and resilience of our planet’s complex ecosystems. The global community has an opportunity to translate this latest science of the pressures facing migratory species into concrete conservation action. Given the precarious situation of many of these animals, we cannot afford to delay, and must work together to make the recommendations a reality.”
Billions of animals make migratory journeys each year on land, in the oceans and rivers, and in the skies, crossing national boundaries and continents, with some travelling thousands of miles across the globe to feed and breed.
Migratory species play an essential role in maintaining the world’s ecosystems, and provide vital benefits, by pollinating plants, transporting key nutrients, preying on pests, and helping to store carbon.
Recommendations made in the report, include mapping and taking adequate steps to protect the vital locations that serve as breeding, feeding and stopover sites for migratory species.
The report shows that nearly 10,000 of the world’s Key Biodiversity Areas are important for CMS-listed migratory species, but that more than half (by area) are not designated as protected or conserved areas. Fifty-eight per cent of monitored sites important for CMS-listed species are under threat due to human activities.
Speaking at a Webinar organized by BirdLife South Africa last week, Martin Harper, the CEO of BirdLife International, said birds can bring nations together, regardless of conflict and strive. He said the risk of bird populations at risk of extinction is escalating.
He said the state of the world’s birds 2024 update, indicates 2,9 billion birds were lost in North America alone, since 1970, about 600 million in the European Union since 1980.
Harper said 1 in 5 birds are currently at risk of extinction.
Birds that migrate to South Africa are the Amur Falcon, White Stork, Yellow-billed Kite, Lesser Kestrel, Woodland Kingfisher, Red-chested Cuckoo, European Bee-eater, White-rumped Swift, Pygmy Kingfisher and the Honey Buzzard.
Picture: Amur Falcon by Earth Life