“The threat of extinction is real. Over the last three centuries, 153 bird species are believed to have been lost forever. Three species have vanished since 2000 alone,” said Dr Leon Bennun, director of science, policy and information at UK-based NGO Birdlife International. The organisation which released the results of its study on Thursday, at the IUCN World Conservation Congress, highlighted some 180 species facing “an imminent risk of extinction” – the highest risk categorisation level.

It could get worse. Usually the mass extinction of species occurs some years after the wholesale destruction of habitats. Studies in Kenya and parts of South-East Asia show that the current predictions of impending doom are underestimated. In Singapore, for example, where forest cover is now less than five per cent of its original area, 61 of the territory’s 91 forest-dependent bird species have disappeared since 1923.

The threat to some of these bird species, experts say, could have immense impact on the ecological system and humans. India’s White-rumped Vultures, for instance, are an integral part of the natural system, disposing of livestock carcasses. With less than 0.1 per cent of the species now remaining, wiped off due to lethal exposures to veterinary drugs through the livestock carcasses that the vultures survived on, the chances of the spread of diseases has increased.

“Global change in biodiversity is hard to measure and effective indicators are still in short supply,” said Alison Stattersfield, head of science, Birdlife International. “Birds provide an accurate and easy-to-read environmental barometer, allowing us to see clearly the pressures our current way of life are exerting on the world’s biodiversity,” she added.

Stattersfield also attributes “more than 90 per cent of the threat of extinction to birds” to human activity. Expanding networks of overhead powerlines in Europe, for example, are ruffling the feathers of bird conservationists. Close to 95 Italian bird species get killed, through electrocution or collision, with up to 87 birds dying annually per km of powerlines. Conservative estimates suggest that at least four million birds are killed in North America each year by collisions with the mushrooming of radio, television and mobile phone towers.

“Overall, the rate of deterioration has been speeding up since our last global assessment in 2004,” said Stattersfield. “The accelerating decline in relatively common and widespread birds is especially alarming and can be linked to ever-increasing pressures on natural habitats. Our data suggests that recent policy changes such as the drive towards producing biofuels are damaging biodiversity and seriously undermining efforts to meet the 2010 target,” she added.

The 2010 Biodiversity Indicators Partnership is a global initiative to further develop and promote indicators for the consistent monitoring and assessment of biodiversity, and to achieve a significant reduction in the rate of biodiversity. The NGO’s study shows that, far from slowing down, biodiversity loss is still occurring at an alarming rate.

The IUCN Red List Index for birds, based on the number and status of threatened species, shows that bird species are slipping faster than ever toward extinction.

“It is clear that conservation action can and does work,” said Bennun. “What we need is commitment, from decision-makers and not just conservationists. It’s time to recognise the real value of biodiversity and for governments to honour the commitments they have made to invest in its conservation,” he added.

(TerraViva)