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Birds in Europe 4: the fourth assessment of Species of European Conservation Concern
- Ian J. Burfield, Claire A. Rutherford, Eresha Fernando, Hannah Grice, Alexa Piggott, Rob W. Martin, Mark Balman, Michael I. Evans, Anna Staneva
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- Journal:
- Bird Conservation International / Volume 33 / 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 30 June 2023, e66
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This is the fourth comprehensive assessment of the population status of all wild bird species in Europe. It identifies Species of European Conservation Concern (SPECs) so that action can be taken to improve their status. Species are categorised according to their global extinction risk, the size and trend of their European population and range, and Europe’s global responsibility for them. Of the 546 species assessed, 207 (38%) are SPECs: 74 (14%) of global concern (SPEC 1); 32 (6%) of European concern and concentrated in Europe (SPEC 2); and 101 (18%) of European concern but not concentrated in Europe (SPEC 3). The proportion of SPECs has remained similar (38–43%) across all four assessments since 1994, but the number of SPEC 1 species of global concern has trebled. The 44 species assessed as Non-SPECs in the third assessment (2017) but as SPECs here include multiple waders, raptors and passerines that breed in arctic, boreal or alpine regions, highlighting the growing importance of northern Europe and mountain ecosystems for bird conservation. Conversely, the 62 species assessed as SPECs in 2017 but as Non-SPECs here include various large waterbirds and raptors that are recovering due to conservation action. Since 1994, the number of specially protected species (listed on Annex I of the EU Birds Directive) qualifying as SPECs has fallen by 33%, while the number of huntable (Annex II) species qualifying as SPECs has risen by 56%. The broad patterns identified previously remain evident: 100 species have been classified as SPECs in all four assessments, including numerous farmland and steppe birds, ducks, waders, raptors, seabirds and long-distance migrants. Many of their populations are heavily depleted or continue to decline and/or contract in range. Europe still holds 3.4–5.4 billion breeding birds, but more action to halt and reverse losses is needed.
An assessment of land cover and threats in Important Bird Areas in Africa
- GRAEME M. BUCHANAN, PAUL F. DONALD, LINCOLN D. C. FISHPOOL, JULIUS A. ARINAITWE, MARK BALMAN, PHILIPPE MAYAUX
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- Journal:
- Bird Conservation International / Volume 19 / Issue 1 / March 2009
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 01 March 2009, pp. 49-61
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Over 1,200 Important Bird Areas (IBAs) have been identified in Africa, each meeting at least one of four objective criteria that identify it as an area of high conservation importance for birds. Despite their biodiversity value, many IBAs are threatened by habitat degradation and a high proportion lack legal protection. We integrate an inventory of these IBAs with remote sensing data to identify patterns that could be used to assess priorities for monitoring and conservation. Land cover composition in IBAs differed significantly from that in buffer zones of the same area immediately surrounding them and was significantly more homogeneous. Agriculture and deforestation were the most prevalent threats to IBAs, particularly in IBAs containing a high proportion of dense forest or shrub. Human population density within IBAs was no lower than that immediately outside IBAs, and was around three times higher than the average for sub-Saharan Africa. However, projected human population growth was lower than the average for sub-Saharan Africa, with the projected increase greatest in IBAs with a high proportional cover of dense forest and mosaic woodland and lowest in IBAs with a higher grassland component. Fifty seven percent of IBAs fell within or overlapped Protected Areas, though this percentage differed between different categories of IBA. IBAs that were included within Protected Areas supported a greater number of globally threatened bird species and contained proportionally more dense forest, woodland and shrub than IBAs falling outside Protected Areas. IBAs outside Protected Areas contained a high proportion of mosaic woodland and open water, suggesting that such habitats are under-protected in Africa. We suggest that because the most prevalent threats to IBAs involve changes in land cover that could be detected from satellites, remote sensing could play an important role in the monitoring of African IBAs. This would permit monitoring of a wider range of sites than is possible solely by conventional, ground-based approaches.