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Global action is needed to save the world’s migratory birds, many of which are at risk of extinction due to habitat loss along their flight paths, say experts.

A flock of Far Eastern Curlews under threat as global action is needed to save the world's migratory birds, many of which are at risk of extinction due to habitat loss along their flight paths, say experts.

A flock of Far Eastern Curlews under threat as global action is needed to save the world’s migratory birds, many of which are at risk of extinction due to habitat loss along their flight paths, say experts. Image by Dirk Hovorka/PA Wire

More than 90% of the world’s migratory birds are inadequately protected due to poorly coordinated conservation efforts, according to a study published in the journal Science. Researchers found huge gaps in the conservation of migratory birds, especially across China, India, and parts of Africa and South America.

Lead author Dr Claire Runge, from the University of Queensland in Australia, said: “More than half of migratory bird species travelling the world’s main flyways have suffered serious population declines in the past 30 years. This is due mainly to unequal and ineffective protection across their migratory range and the places they stop to refuel along their routes. A typical migratory bird relies on many different geographic locations throughout its annual cycle for food, rest and breeding. So even if we protect most of their breeding grounds, it’s still not enough – threats somewhere else can affect the entire population. The chain can be broken at any link.”

She said migratory birds undertook remarkable journeys across land and sea, ranging from endurance flights of more than 10,000 kilometres by bar-tailed godwits, to Arctic terns flying the equivalent of the distance to the moon and back three times during their lives. Other examples included the sooty shearwater which flies 64,000 kilometres from the Falkland Islands to the Arctic, and the tiny blackpoll warbler, which journeys for three days non-stop across open ocean from eastern Canada to South America.

The study found that of 1,451 migratory bird species, 1,324 had inadequate protection for at least one part of their migration pathway. Eighteen species had no protection in their breeding areas and two species had no protection at all along their whole route. For migratory bird species listed as threatened on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List by BirdLife International, less than 3% had sufficient protected areas. The team examined more than 8,200 areas that had been identified as internationally important locations for migratory bird populations. They found that just 22% were completely protected, and 41% only partially overlapped with protected areas.

Co-author Dr Stuart Butchart, head of science at BirdLife International, said: “Establishing new reserves to protect the unprotected sites – and more effectively managing all protected areas for migratory species – is critical to ensure the survival of these iconic species.”

(Press Association)