What is the main cause of the shocking decline in Europe’s bird populations?
A study, which is considered to be one of the landmark scientific articles in 2023, revealed a shocking decline of 550 million birds across Europe over four decades.
Overall, bird numbers have fallen by 25%, the figure being almost 60% in the case of farmland bird species.
The study identifies the spread of intensive monoculture farming, driven by increased pesticide and fertilizer use, as the primary culprit.
Fertilizers and pesticides leave soil devoid of invertebrates – a vital source of nutrition for many birds, and contaminate seeds, which can eventually kill birds. Monoculture farming also generates homogeneous landscapes that lack plant diversity, offering birds neither refuge nor varied vegetation and fruit to feed on.
The study also gauged how significant climate change, urbanization and changes in forest cover have been in bird population decline across Europe.
Subscribe- t.me/askmenow
