Getting rarer the meadow pipet (credit: Gidzy)
It’s not just UK farmlands birds that are having problems at the moment. A recently published study shows that farmland bird numbers are falling all across Europe. The pan-European bird monitoring scheme which began in 2002 uses common species of birds found across the continent as an indicator of biodiversity health.
The new study looked at surveys of 145 common species across 25 European countries between 1980 and 2009 and in every case it was the farmland birds that declines in number the most.
Farmlands bird numbers drop by up to 90% across Europe.
Among some of the most endangered farmland species was the grey partridge which has seen numbers decline by over two thirds throughout Europe and by as much as 90% in the UK. The goldcrest which has declined by just over 10% in the UK saw falls of over 60% in numbers across Europe as a whole.
Over species highlighted included the linnet with a 57% drop in numbers in the UK and 49% drops across Europe. The meadow pipet did not fair much better with falls of 51% across Europe and 43% across the UK. From the list of 10 most threatened birds species in Europe half were farmland birds.
Is the Common Agricultural Policy to blame for falling farmland birds?
Some conservationists believe that the European Union Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) lies at the heart of the problem for farmland birds. CAP in the past has accounted for nearly half of European spending and totals around 50 billion euros a year. It’s aim is to ensure that farmers have a secure income and food is produced at an affordable price.
Conservationists say that this emphasis on food production has lead to the devastating fall in farmland bird numbers. This latest survey has also come out at a time of proposals to change the way that CAP operates. An open consultation on CAP has just closed and it was one of the most successful ever ran by the EU with over 6,000 people and organisations submitting their ideas to the debate over the fute of CAP.
Proposals for new CAP due in October.
The results of the consultation is expected to be published in October. Conservationists are concerned that the new proposals may not include sufficient schemes to reward conservation farming or low impact agriculture.
Jenna Hegarty, RSPB CAP policy officer, said: “We know that farmland birds have halved in number in the UK since the 1970s, but these shocking figures show that the story is the same across Europe.
“This is no coincidence – the one thing that farmed landscapes in European countries all have in common is that they are shaped by the Common Agricultural Policy. This policy has helped farmers to produce more food, but wildlife has suffered as a result.
“Now we have an opportunity to reform the CAP and make it address today’s challenges – one of which is a massive loss of biodiversity across Europe. With proper targeted funding for wildlife friendly farming and effective and efficient schemes in place we can reverse these declines and make our countryside richer and healthier for birds, plants, insects and people as well as producing food.
“I hope that these stark figures on wildlife population declines bring home to policy makers the vital importance of a CAP that works for people and nature. Many farmers are doing brilliant things for wildlife but there still isn’t enough money in the pot. It’s not a choice between food and birds, because we can have both.”
Protecting farmland birds with dwindling budgets.
The proportion of money that the CAP budget receives is set to drop substantially over the next few years. The EU is aiming to reduce it from taking up about half of the total budget down to about a third of the total EU budget. This drop in budget could lead to a reduction in the amount of money available for agri-environment schemes.
One are of concern is that conservationists are worried of less money being made available to the Stewardship Schemes. They are also concerned with the possible relaxation of the rules which will allow national governments to be able to move money away from environmental schemes into other areas.
Increased flexibility in payments though is one of the most important ways that farmland birds could be helped in an era of dwindling budgets. One of the biggest problems with the CAP is the way in which it encouraged and supported large scale farming over the small family farm. The way the scheme operates has led to larger fields and loss of the traditional hedgerows which are the mains stay of farmland bird habitat and food.
By giving national governments the flexibility to develop schemes for their own countries means that money can be targeted to protecting the smaller farm with less intensively managed large-scale fields.
External sites:
European Bird Census Council.
RSPB.
