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Avian future grim...?
BirdLife International's latest evaluation of world bird populations finds 12% of all bird species currently threatened with extinction. 1227 species in total are adjudged as 'globally threatened,' and 191 species in addition to the Ivory-billed Woodpecker are listed as 'critically endangered.' While many express alarm at the 12% figure, the writing has been on the wall for decades regarding the trajectory that bird populations are on. I suspect that percentage could double within 3-4 decades, and as a practical matter, given human nature and human will, there's not a lot that can be accomplished. Worse yet, the outlook for many other animals is likely no better.
The report does list a couple of 'success' stories in the making, but these are the exception to the norm. Habitat conservation remains key, and is slow to attain, territory being the limited commodity that it is. And even saved habitat is far from immune to the direct or indirect polluting and chemical effects of human activity/presence. And what we are doing to the oceans and waterways may represent an even worse story than the spoiling of land. Oyyyyy vey!
A "cautiously optimistic" E.O. Wilson, hopes for a "critical threshold" or "tipping point" to move Mankind forward on the topic here:
Lastly, on a brighter note, the Roger Tory Peterson Birding Festival will run from June 4-7 at the RTP Institute of Natural History in Jamestown, NY, with Pete Dunne and Kenn Kaufmann, among others, in attendance.
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