Decline of migratory birds spurs calls for coordinated conservation

NAIROBI — The sharp decline in migratory bird populations signals that ecosystems worldwide are facing mounting pressure, according to conservation experts. It is imperative for governments to collaborate and coordinate conservation endeavors across their respective borders. Representatives from numerous sectors convened in Nairobi from September 8-11 for the Global Flyways Summit, organized by BirdLife International in partnership with Nature Kenya.

The summit aimed to tackle the escalating threats confronting migratory birds and their dependent habitats. BirdLife unveiled the most recent quarterly "State of the World’s Birds" report, which revealed that 45% of migratory bird species are experiencing population declines, with approximately one in nine teetering on the brink of extinction.

Shorebirds and seabirds were singled out as among the groups suffering the most severe reductions. The near-threatened great snipe (Gallinago media) breeds in Scandinavia and western Russia, and migrates to various locations in West, Central, and East Africa during the winter. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies this species as near threatened, with its numbers dwindling rapidly due to habitat loss and hunting pressure.

The conservation organization identified the primary threats as habitat loss, agriculture, hunting, pollution, and climate change. Stuart Butchart, BirdLife International’s chief scientist, emphasized that these challenges cannot be effectively addressed by individual nations alone.