A study launched by BirdLife international across Europe this morning predicts that climate change will push birds north and possibly render a number of species extinct by the end of the century unless something is done to reverse the process.

It may seem like a long time from now, BirdLife Malta’s exectuive director Tolga Temuge said at the local presentation, “but we are starting to see some of these changes already.”

The study, which is based on climate change projections made by the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), predicts that without vigorous and immediate action, the potential future range of the average European bird species will shift by nearly 550 km north-east by the end of this century and will reduce in size by a fifth compared to the current range.

The best case scenario is that the birds will simply move north, the worst is that they do not and perish in climatic conditions to which they cannot adapt. It cannot be assumed that birds will automatically realise that new habitats that could be potentially suitable for them have evolved in the north and migrate there, BLM conservation manager Andre Raine explained.

Locally, the changes could threaten our internationally important seabird colonies, such as the the Yelkouan Shearwater, of which Malta has about 10% of the world’s population and European Storm-petrels, which ammount to the largest population of in the Mediterranean. The models used predict that we may lose both of these species by the end of this century unless the forecasted climate change is averted, Dr Raine pointed out.

Primarily, the conservation group called on governments across the globe to commit to a reduction of hydrocarbon dependancy. Moreover, BirdLife recommends that more investment be made in protected areas and the wider countryside to give wildlife affected by the changes a better chance at survival.

Mr Temuge stressed that full and imaginative implementation of the EU Birds and Habitats Directives can help wildlife both inside and outside protected areas.