Another bird species joined with Dodo

BirdLife International has announced, in the 2010 IUCN Red List update for birds, the extinction of Alaotra Grebe Tachybaptus rufolavatus. Restricted to a tiny area of east Madagascar, this species declined rapidly after carnivorous fish were introduced to the lakes in which it lived. This, along with the use of nylon gill-nets by fisherman which caught and drowned birds, has driven this species into the abyss. Alaotra Grebe will have been unknown to most people but, like a great painter whose work is recognised only after they have died, it will now become better known because of its extinction.

"No hope now remains for this species. It is another example of how human actions can have unforeseen consequences", said Dr Leon Bennun, BirdLife International's Director of Science, Policy and Information. "Invasive alien species have caused extinctions around the globe and remain one of the major threats to birds and other biodiversity."

And it's not just aliens. Wetlands the world over, and the species found in them, are under increasing pressures.

"Wetlands are fragile environments, easily disturbed or polluted, but essential not only for birds and other biodiversity but also for millions of people around the world as a source of water and food", said Dr Stuart Butchart, BirdLife's Global Research and Indicators Coordinator.

According to the latest revision of the Red list for birds by BirdLife International, a total of 1240 bird species are threatened. This is an increase of 14 species compared to the number in 2009 analysis. Numbers of threatened species in each category are as follows.

Extinct - 132
Extinct in the Wild - 4
Critically Endangered (incl. Possibly Extinct) - 190 (14)
Endangered - 372
Vulnerable - 678

Red list changes 2010

Photo: Chris Rose, BirdLife International

'Bird populations are declining' - Global Biodiversity Outlook 3

“The target agreed by the world’s Governments in 2002, “to achieve by 2010 a significant reduction of the current rate of biodiversity loss at the global, regional and national level as a contribution to poverty alleviation and to the benefit of all life on Earth”, has not been met.”

“The action taken over the next decade or two, and the direction charted under the Convention on Biological Diversity, will determine whether the relatively stable environmental conditions on which human civilization has depended for the past 10,000 years will continue beyond this century. If we fail to use this opportunity, many ecosystems on the planet will move into new, unprecedented states in which the capacity to provide for the needs of present and future generations is highly uncertain.”

These excerpts are from the latest version of Global Biodiversity Outlook launched on 10 May 2010.

Global Biodiversity Outlook is the flagship publication of the Convention on Biological Diversity. Drawing on a range of information sources, including National Reports, biodiversity indicators information, scientific literature, and a study assessing biodiversity scenarios for the future, the third edition of Global Biodiversity Outlook (GBO-3) summarizes the latest data on status and trends of biodiversity and draws conclusions for the future strategy of the Convention.

Some facts on Bird populations from GBO-3

· Farmland bird populations in Europe have declined by on average 50% since 1980.
· Bird populations in North American grasslands declined by nearly 40% between 1968 and 2003, showing a slight recovery over the past five years; those in North American drylands have declined by nearly 30% since the late 1960s.
· Of the 1,200 waterbird populations with known trends, 44% are in decline.
· 42% of all amphibian species and 40% of bird species are declining in population.
· Bird species have faced an especially steep increase in extinction risk in South-East Asia, on the Pacific Islands, polar regions and in marine and coastal ecosystems.

Download GBO-3 (8.6MB)