European bird conservation works
News from the RSPB site
In the first scientific analysis of its kind anywhere in the world, the RSPB has shown that one example of protecting birds at a continental scale has improved the fortunes of the most threatened and vulnerable European species - signalling that conservation works, if it is enshrined in law.
In a ground-breaking paper published in Science, the RSPB shows that the Birds Directive - a law protecting birds across the European Union - has successfully protected those species considered to be at most risk and in need of most urgent protection and has made a significant difference in protecting many of Europe’s birds from further decline.
When the Birds Directive became law in 1979, the Directive required that a number of species be the subject of special conservation measures, particularly through the designation of Special Protection Areas. Importantly, today’s research shows these ‘special’ species have not only performed more successfully than other bird species in the European Union, but also that these species have fared better in the European Union than populations of the same species in other European countries.
Dr Paul Donald, a conservation biologist with the RSPB, is the paper’s senior author. He said: 'For over 25 years, the Birds Directive has assisted member states to provide proper protection for those birds considered to be facing the greatest threats. Today we can reveal that this protection has apparently worked.'
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