Birds in the European Union - BirdLife International

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26 Birds in the European Union: a status assessment – Conclusions and recommendations BirdLife International calls for: The list of species with Unfavourable Conservation Status in this publication to be considered in possible future reviews of the Annex I list of the Birds Directive. ■ Species with a Species Action Plan (SAP) The overall success of species with SAPs reinforces those plans as an appropriate means of planning necessary action for threatened species. The fact that actions prescribed by these plans were also specifically financed by the LIFE financial instrument also contributes to their success. BirdLife International calls for: Full implementation, including financing, of the Species Action Plans. The updating of the list of priority species for funding under the LIFE instrument (or equivalent) at EU level, taking into account the results of this review. For example, all SPEC1 species including those newly classified should be priority species for funding. ■ Long distance migrants declining The fact that long distance migrants are declining is alarming, and could be linked to events taking place during their stay on their wintering grounds although at this stage of the analysis it was not possible to determine this. However, it highlights the need for the EU to look beyond its borders when it comes to protecting certain species, as actions on EU territory might not be enough to ensure their Favourable Conservation Status in the long term. BirdLife International calls for: The EU to take actions beyond its borders in order to investigate and if appropriate, address the declines of longdistance migrants. TRADE OF WILD BIRDS: ARTICLE 6 OF THE BIRDS DIRECTIVE BirdLife International calls for: The success of controlling illegal trade of wild birds (i.e. trade not allowed according to the Birds Directive) should be continued and strengthened in order to eliminate all occurrences across the EU 25. HUNTING: ARTICLE 7 OF THE BIRDS DIRECTIVE The increased number of Annex II species with Unfavourable Conservation Status is of considerable concern. It now seems that consideration should be given to producing plans also for the new species that have Unfavourable Conservation Status, as well as completing the old. Member States, Commission, hunters and conservationists will have to work together in all countries to reverse those negative trends otherwise hunting of these species will become unsustainable. BirdLife International calls for: For the completion of the species management plans for all Annex II species with Unfavourable Conservation Status. Upon Member States, Commission, hunters and conservationists to work together to reverse those trends.
Birds in the European Union: a status assessment – Conclusions and recommendations MONITORING UNDER ARTICLE 4 OF THE BIRDS DIRECTIVE AND ARTICLE 6 OF THE HABITATS DIRECTIVE Because of the importance of the Birds Directive for the EU biodiversity policy, monitoring of bird populations is an essential tool of good governance and the Commission and the Member States should set in place systems which will be able to provide information to enable judgements concerning: how effectively the nature directives are delivering their overall goals; appropriate priorities for actions to improve performance under the nature directives; and the extent to which achievements through implementation of the nature directives contribute to broader biodiversity conservation objectives within the EU 4 . The preconditions for assessment of SPAs are that adequate information is available at community level. This would require that: Member States set up or support surveillance and monitoring schemes which assess SPAs against their objectives (e.g. targets and site specific indicators are identified for the species the site is classified for) covering all SPAs. The Natura 2000 database is redesigned to support monitoring and periodic assessment of site conditions. Complex data are summarised into simple scores. BirdLife believes that long-term partnership between national bird conservation NGOs and the competent national authorities is the best way to engage citizens in monitoring of species and sites. RESEARCH: ARTICLE 10 AND ANNEX V OF THE BIRDS DIRECTIVE BirdLife International calls on governments to promote and support: Financially long-term monitoring schemes and to encourage Integrated Population Monitoring Schemes, which can combine and promote the results of detailed scientific studies with data from e.g. bird ringing, hunting bags and citizen science. Research programmes in order to set baselines, targets and investigate network coherence. Research could help by mobilising and synthesising the large amounts of existing historical data, and then using modelling approaches to calculate meaningful baselines and set realistic targets, based on different scenarios. Without such targets, it is often difficult for politicians or the public to attach much meaning to the data provided by monitoring schemes. Development of predictive modelling for the effect of issues like climate change on biodiversity. We need much more systematically-recorded data, collected synchronously using standardised methods, to provide the raw material for testing and verifying models e.g. how can we accommodate the predicted species redistributions in the existing Natura 2000 network. Similarly, models could be applied to support environmental assessment of policy changes including the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy. Gap analysis and prioritisation. Considerable detailed autecological research has been carried out but is often difficult to access. It is essential that this existing science is inventoried, reviewed and presented in a non-technical and accessible way. We need mechanisms to promote effective information exchange and technology transfer between researchers in different countries, e.g. user-driven databases of publications on the ecology, declines and recoveries of particular species or communities. As well as helping to prevent wastage in terms of repetition, this would also help to focus new research projects on really policy-relevant issues. Habitat management for biodiversity research into farmland bird declines have successfully pinpointed the needs of species, the causes of their declines, and how to reverse these with practical measures and changes in policy, i.e. agrienvironment schemes. This approach should now be extended to other habitat types and ecosystems, both terrestrial and aquatic. Such research should aim to develop an evidence-based approach to biodiversity management. REPORTING: ARTICLE 12 BirdLife International calls on governments: To use the indicators suggested by BirdLife International for monitoring common birds, sites and threatened birds in their regular reports to the European Commission every three years. BirdLife International calls on the European Commission: To create a new up-graded Natura 2000 barometer which will focus on the ‘health’ of Natura 2000 sites instead of their designation. THE EU SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY AND THE 2010 TARGET The outermost regions of France have enormous biodiversity value, more than the whole of the European Union of 25 combined. The biodiversity in these regions is put in danger by economic development through structural funds and agricultural funds, while at the same time the nature Directives of the European Union do not apply. BirdLife International calls for: The development of special legislation, with adequate financial resources, to protect birds and other wildlife in the biodiversity rich tropical outermost regions of the EU. 4. This includes, for example, the objectives set out in the EU Biodiversity Strategy, and targets set under the 6th Community Environment Action Programme (and reinforced by the European Council at its meetings in Gothenburg, June 2001 and Brussels, March 2003). 27
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Birds in the European Union - BirdLife International

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