Declining bird populations are a ‘grim’ reminder of rapid biodiversity loss, says new report

Declining bird populations are a ‘grim’ reminder of rapid biodiversity loss, says new report

Subject: Environment

Section: Biodiversity

Context:

• Around 60 percent of birds in India have experienced population decline over the long term of 30 years, says 2023 State of India’s Birds report.

Details:

• Birds occupying open natural ecosystems, such as grasslands, have seen steep declines in numbers. In terms of diet, birds that feed on vertebrates and carrion have declined the most, followed by birds that feed on insects.
• Targeted, systematic, periodic monitoring of bird populations and using consistent methods can help species management.

Ecosystem services provided by birds:

• Aiding in seed dispersal and pollination,
• Acting as predators and scavengers.
• Indicator of surrounding environments
• Balance the species population by feeding them like: Rodents, insects etc.

Consequences of declining bird population:

• The decline in raptors could result in increased populations of rodent communities.
• The great Indian bustard is on the brink of extinction because of land use changes and habitat loss.
• Birds that feed on vertebrates and carrion have declined the most, suggesting that this food resource either contains harmful pollutants or is declining in availability, or both.
• Agrochemicals lower survival rates in some raptors.

Threats:

• India has Protected Areas and laws like the Wildlife Protection Act, but these measures are not sufficient to stop the declining populations of birds in India.
• The report locates declining bird populations within eight broad threats:
  • environmental pollutants,
  • forest degradation,
  • Urbanisation,
  • avian disease,
  • illegal hunting and trade and
  • climate change.
  • The spread of monocultures through commercial plantations or afforestation programmes have reduced biodiversity.
  • Expansion of renewable energy infrastructure

Recommendations:

• Not planting trees in monocultures, but rather ecological restoration of multiple habitats including non- forest habitats like grasslands.
• Mitigate the considerable negative effects of small-scale infrastructure such as wind energy.
• Targeted, systematic, periodic monitoring of bird populations, using consistent methods, over long periods of time.
• Monitoring changes in factors such as disturbance, climate, and land-use

Steps taken to conserve these bird species:

• In 2020, the Indian government announced a 10 year Visionary Protection Plan (VPP) for the conservation of avian diversity, ecosystems, habitats and landscapes.
• The Plan outlined steps to be taken in the near, middle, and long term to effectively monitor and raise awareness about bird conservation.
• The Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON) is one of the focal institutes supporting the VPP.
• 17 states and union territories have initiated work on their own VPPs, while five — Uttarakhand, Delhi, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Meghalaya — have completed the process.
• By 2030, we expect states to pay more attention to bird conservation issues and work to mitigate priority areas.
• The amended Wildlife Protection Act took into consideration some of the findings from the SoIB 2020 report.

Indian Bird Conservation Network (IBCN):

• The Indian Bird Conservation Network is a collaboration of:
  • The Bombay Natural History Society,
  • BirdLife International,
  • Royal Society for Protection of Birds,
  • Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology & History,
  • Indian Institute of Public Administration,
  • Wildlife Institute of India and
  • other NGO’s on the ground.
• It aims at conservation actions through sound research. It is open to all who believe that conservation of birds can contribute to the conservation of all biodiversity, and in return, be beneficial in the spiritual and material well-being of human life.

Bird Sensitivity Mapping Tool:

• The Union environment ministry has approved a three-year study called the ‘Bird Sensitivity Mapping Tool’ to chart the pathways of migratory birds under the Central Asian Flyway (CAF) across India.
• Globally, migratory flyways have been identified under the Convention of Migratory Species (CMS).
• The study was announced on the sidelines of the International Conference on Wetlands and Migratory Waterbirds of the Asian Flyways in Lonavala, Maharashtra, India.