International extinction of a hen from mainland Europe and the Mediterranean confirmed by scientists
- That is the primary identified international hen extinction from mainland Europe, North Africa and West Asia.
- The final irrefutable sighting of the Slender-billed Curlew was in February 1995 in Morocco.
- This new examine is a stark warning of the necessity to sort out the loss and degradation of inland grassland and wetland nesting areas and coastal wetland non-breeding areas, amongst different pressures, and the necessity for coordinated motion to forestall additional extinction of migratory waterbird species, together with the Eurasian Curlew.
Scientists from the RSPB, BirdLife Worldwide (UK), Naturalis Biodiversity Middle (The Netherlands) and Pure Historical past Museum, London have in the present day revealed an goal evaluation that signifies the extinction of the Slender-billed Curlew, a migratory shorebird that bred in western Siberia and wintered within the Mediterranean.
The IUCN Crimson Record at present recognises simply 164 hen species as extinct, from over 11,000 species who’ve had their conservation standing assessed by BirdLife Worldwide, the worldwide Crimson Record Authority for birds.
This marks the primary identified extinction of a hen species from mainland Europe, North Africa and West Asia* Intensive efforts have been made for many years to seek out proof of the Slender-billed Curlew throughout its breeding and non-breeding ranges, however all have confirmed unsuccessful.
The paper, revealed in the present day within the journal IBIS doi: 10.1111/ibi.13368, makes use of goal statistical evaluation of threats to the species and a database of data, together with museum specimens and sightings, to evaluate the probability of extinction. The evaluation exhibits that there’s a 99.6% likelihood that the hen not exists and went extinct round in regards to the time of the final file in 1995.
Nicola Crockford, Principal Coverage Officer for the RSPB, stated: “This is without doubt one of the most essentially devastating tales to come back out of nature conservation in a century and will get to the very coronary heart of why the RSPB and BirdLife Partnership are doing what we do; that’s, finally, to forestall extinction of species. That is the primary identified international extinction of a hen from mainland Europe, North Africa and West Asia. This has occurred in our lifetimes. How can we count on international locations past Europe to step up for his or her species when our comparatively rich international locations have failed?
Extinction is without end. This information highlights that our work to avoid wasting the Eurasian Curlew and Black-tailed Godwit, in addition to many different migratory shorebirds which might be of conservation concern, is of utmost urgency to forestall extra species following the Slender-billed Curlew into extinction.”
Graeme Buchanan, Head of Worldwide Conservation Science with the RSPB, stated: “Declaring a species extinct just isn’t one thing that’s carried out calmly and the IUCN who make the last word determination on extinction for the Crimson Record of Threatened Species want full particulars of the standing of a species earlier than doing so. It’s necessary that it’s not carried out too quickly, as this might result in the elimination of conservation efforts when they might nonetheless be useful; nonetheless, extended funding in an already extinct species could possibly be a waste of restricted sources. This implies we are able to’t simply assume a species is extinct if it hasn’t been seen for some time. That is significantly related for the Slender-billed Curlew, given its breeding grounds have been by no means absolutely identified, and the in depth distribution in the course of the non-breeding season. By utilizing goal, agreed strategies we are able to make a sturdy evaluation, however they don’t make the end result any much less devastating. It’s now as much as IUCN to make the choice on the standing of the species.”
The causes of the Slender-billed Curlew’s decline might by no means be absolutely understood, however attainable pressures included in depth drainage of their raised lavatory breeding grounds for agricultural use, the lack of coastal wetlands used for winter feeding, and looking, particularly latterly, of an already lowered, fragmented and declining inhabitants. There might have been impacts from air pollution, illness, predation, and local weather change, however the scale of those impacts is unknown.
The Slender-billed Curlew was an in depth relative of the Eurasian Curlew, a shorebird whose effervescent name may be heard in the course of the breeding season in British uplands and different grasslands such because the East Anglian Brecklands, and flocks of which may be seen throughout our estuaries via the winter months. The Eurasian Curlew is Close to Threatened on the IUCN international and European Crimson Lists of Threatened Species and is on the UK’s Birds of Conservation Concern crimson listing.
Nicola Crockford added: “The significance of coastal wetland non-breeding areas and upland, grassland and wetland breeding grounds can’t be overestimated, and the threats they face worldwide, shouldn’t be ignored. This is the reason we’d like governments, donors and different stakeholders to safe the ecological networks required by these birds alongside their flyways, together with via useful agri-environment schemes and an finish to inappropriate afforestation within the nesting areas, and guarded, sustainably managed and restored coastal wetlands tailored to the impacts of sea degree rise and different local weather change associated occasions; it’s attainable to have all these items to the advantage of native human communities in addition to the birds.”
Dr Alex Bond, Senior Curator in Cost of Birds on the Pure Historical past Museum, has been a part of the workforce tracing the destiny of the curlew.
He stated: “When the Slender-billed Curlew stopped returning to their foremost wintering website at Merja Zerga, Morocco, there was various effort put in to attempt to find them on breeding grounds. A number of expeditions, lots of of 1000’s of sq. kilometres searched. And all this has turned up, sadly, is nothing.
As local weather change continues, that is going to be the established order. Issues will not be getting higher for birds. Tackling local weather change, habitat destruction and air pollution is the perfect likelihood we’ve obtained at defending them, at dwelling and overseas.”
This information follows the current announcement by BirdLife Worldwide that 16 different migratory shorebird species, 4 of which (Gray Plover, Turnstone, Dunlin, Curlew Sandpiper) are common within the UK, have simply been uplisted to increased risk classes on the IUCN Crimson Record of Threatened Species, owing to inhabitants declines.
Alex Berryman, Crimson Record Officer at BirdLife Worldwide, and a co-author of the examine, stated: “The devastating lack of the Slender-billed Curlew sends a warning that no birds are immune from the specter of extinction. Greater than 150 hen species have change into globally extinct since 1500. Invasive species have typically been the wrongdoer, with 90% of hen extinctions impacting island species. Nonetheless, whereas the wave of island extinctions could also be slowing, the speed of continental extinctions is rising. It is a results of habitat destruction and degradation, overexploitation and different threats. Pressing conservation motion is desperately wanted to avoid wasting birds; with out it we should be braced for a a lot bigger extinction wave washing over the continents.”
Nicola Crockford concluded: “Migratory birds join nations. Efforts by some international locations to preserve a species may be undermined by damaging actions in different international locations which share the identical migratory species. Simply as carbon within the environment is a measure of worldwide efforts to fight local weather change, the standing of migratory species is an indicator of the success of worldwide efforts to preserve biodiversity. The extinction of the Slender-billed Curlew is as a lot a clarion name for significantly enhanced motion for nature because the floods, fires and droughts devastating the planet are for motion to fight local weather change.”
The Pure Historical past Museum is internet hosting an exhibition in collaboration with the RSPB, Birds: Sensible and Weird, open till 5 January 2025, the place the general public can be taught extra in regards to the risks birds face and shield them, in addition to their extraordinary evolutionary historical past and behaviours.
*(though two species have gone extinct from offshore islands on this area, the Nice Auk within the mid-19th Century and Canary Island Oystercatcher within the mid-20th century).
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