THE STATE WE’RE IN: Let’s heed bird population’s warning

THE STATE WE’RE IN By Michele S. Byers Endangered bird species provide warning that human population is also in danger.

   Every year, a global partnership of conservation groups evaluates the health of the world’s birds. The latest assessment of Bird Life International shows that one in five bird species is in trouble.
   Bird Life International is made up of partner groups working in more than 100 countries. They summarize their findings into one of the most comprehensive evaluations of species health available. Their Web site (www.birdlife.net) offers a wealth of information on everything from specific birds to global trends.
   Since 1500, at least 131 birds have become extinct, including the famous dodo. But there are still 9,775 documented bird species on the planet.
   This year’s assessment shows that 1,212 species are actually threatened with extinction, and 179 of these are considered critically endangered. While that’s one less than last year, a huge number of species, 788, are now considered "near threatened." The numbers mean that 20 percent of all birds are in trouble.
   Despite the alarming trend, there are individual bright spots. Five species are considered less threatened than last year. Among them is the Kirtland’s warbler, which breeds in Michigan. In the 1970s there were 167 of the brightly colored songbirds. Today there are more than 1,200, thanks to a better understanding of their ecological needs and the protection of the birds’ breeding habitat.
   So lots of birds are becoming threatened, but a few are doing a little better. A few birds moved off the list, and one bird once thought extinct was rediscovered — the ivory billed woodpecker. What should we do with this information?
   Most of us don’t get too worked up as plants and animals slide toward extinction; but when they really do reach the brink of extinction, we rise to the challenge and support laws, government programs and private efforts to save them. This isn’t a very cost-effective or smart way to respond.
   A better approach is to keep birds from heading down the extinction path to begin with. We don’t have the capacity to continue the last-ditch efforts we are using to stave off extinction one species at a time. As the number of threatened species grows, the resources we devote to species preservation also will have to grow to keep pace.
   Protecting habitat is the best approach with the most likelihood of success. Once habitat is degraded or lost, the birds don’t stand a chance. Before science produced instruments to measure toxic gases, miners brought caged canaries down into mine shafts. If poisonous gases built up in a mine shaft, the small birds would die first, warning the miners there was an invisible killer among them and they should get out.
   Our global bird population is warning us of encroaching danger. Only this time, we have no safe place to flee. Will we heed the warning in time?
   I hope you’ll contact me at 1-888-LAND-SAVE or [email protected], or visit NJCF’s Web site at www.njconservation.org, for more information about conserving New Jersey’s land and natural resources.
Michele S. Byers is executive director of the New Jersey Conservation Foundation.