Current European nature conservation policy is not sufficient to halt the decline in common bird and butterfly populations
To halt the decline in biodiversity, countries are setting nature conservation targets, including through the European Birds and Habitats Directives. These usually focus on rare species, but what do these directives actually mean for the biodiversity we see around us every day, such as the house sparrow, the blackbird or the small white?
Researchers analysed data on 265 bird species and 144 butterfly species from over 20,000 sites across 26 European countries. They investigated how climate, land use and the intensity of that land use influence the numbers of these species. They then used models to project how populations might evolve up to 2050 under various future scenarios.
The results are a stark wake-up call: even in the most optimistic future scenarios – in which we achieve the current nature conservation targets – the decline in common bird and butterfly populations will not stop. For butterflies, there will be hardly any change, and although the decline in bird populations is projected to be slightly less severe, their numbers will continue to fall. Farmland birds, in particular, will suffer greatly.
The study’s conclusion is clear: current European nature conservation policy is, on its own, insufficient to halt the decline in common bird and butterfly populations. Merely achieving the existing nature conservation targets is therefore not enough. According to the researchers, a broader shift is also needed in the way we view our future needs for land and natural resources.
Image above: grayling (photo INBO)