Bird numbers falling across Europe

Plummeting farm and bird numbers in the UK are being mirrored across Europe, with populations at all-time recorded lows, conservationists warned yesterday.

According to the pan-European bird monitoring scheme, which looked at population figures for 145 of the most common species in 25 European countries between 1980 and 2009, farmland birds are the most threatened group.

Half of the 10 most at-risk species rely on farmland for feeding, roosting or breeding, and their numbers are at an all-time low, the study reveals.

Conservationists said the figures showed the need for reform of the Common Agricultural Policy, the EU system which pays subsidies to farmers, to provide more money for landowners who put wildlife-friendly measures in place.

Among the most threatened species is the grey partridge, which has recently declined by two-thirds in Europe, and has seen numbers fall by 90 per cent in the UK in records stretching back to the 1970s.

The linnet has seen short-term declines of almost half across Europe and longer term falls of 57 per cent in the UK.

Meadow pipit numbers have fallen by more than half in Europe and in the UK by 43 per cent.

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 Europe 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.”

Proposals for reform of the Common Agricultural Policy are due to be published in October, but there are fears environmental funding will be reduced and countries will be allowed to move money from wildlife-friendly schemes to other areas.

Ms Hegarty said: “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.”

A spokesman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: “We want ambitious reform of the Common Agricultural Policy that delivers not just better value for money and more competitive farming, but also a better deal for the environment right across Europe that will help to protect wildlife such as these wonderful birds.

“At home, we are doing more than ever to protect our wildlife and some species of British birds, such as goldfinch and tree sparrow are recovering well.

“In difficult financial times, we have increased the funding for the Higher Level Stewardship Scheme, which rewards farmers for helping to improve habitats and wildlife, by 80 per cent and we’ve also launched an initiative to encourage farmers to increase habitats for the farmland bird species most in decline.”