Reposted from Wonky News Nerd
According to a pair of studies published Tuesday, climate change and habitat loss have the potential to be very bad for bird populations in the continental United States and Canada in the years ahead – even among many species not previously considered to be at risk.
The National Audubon Society’s Birds and Climate Change Report, finds that “314 species – nearly half of all North American birds – [are] severely threatened by global warming.” Those include well-loved and "iconic" species such as bald eagles, common loons, Baltimore orioles, brown pelicans, mountain bluebirds and purple finches.
After studying 30 years of North American climate data and tens of thousands of historical bird observation, Audubon projects that 126 bird species will lose more than half, or even all, of their current ranges by 2050 “with no possibility of moving elsewhere if global warming continues on its current trajectory. “ Another 188 species “face more than 50 percent range loss by 2080 but may be able to make up some of this loss if they are able to colonize new areas."
"It's a punch in the gut. The greatest threat our birds face today is global warming," Audubon Chief Scientist Gary Langham, who led the research, said in a statement. "That's our unequivocal conclusion after seven years of painstakingly careful and thorough research. Global warming threatens the basic fabric of life on which birds – and the rest of us – depend, and we have to act quickly and decisively if we are going to avoid catastrophe for them and for us."
US NABCI: 230 bird species need watching
The State of the Birds 2014, published by the U.S. Committee of the North American Bird Conservation Initiative (US NABCI) offers a similar dose of alarming news, but also some reasons for hope.
The US NABCI report includes a “watch list” of 230 bird species deemed to be currently endangered or “at risk of becoming endangered without significant conservation.” But, the authors add, bird populations can and do rebound when people actively protect and restore their habitats.
According to a fact sheet released with the US NABCI report: "The most significant finding of the State of the Birds 2014 is simply that conservation works. Where we have invested in healthy habitats (i.e., clean water) birds are doing well.”
Additional proactive conservation is needed not only to help save endangered birds, US NABCI says, but also "to keep common species common."
Proactive conservation means protection and active management of habitat for birds during breeding, migration, and overwintering. Habitat loss and degradation can be driven by residential and energy development, recreation in sensitive habitats, invasions of nonnative plants, insects and diseases and other unsustainable land uses. These are also being exacerbated by the impacts of climate change – severe drought, changes in fire regimes and increasing sea levels. (Emphasis added.)
The problem won't solve itself
The key takeaway from each report is that doing nothing about climate change could result in hundreds of bird extinctions in North America over the next several decades. If that was the only problem inaction would bring, things would be bad enough. But, the overall impact of climate change means that massive bird die-offs could be just a small part of what is heading at us.
Because doing nothing is not an option, we also cannot afford to indulge the state of panic, cynicism and fatalistic despair that news like this can create. If we want to save the world, we are going to have to change it – probably more than we realize now.
We can do it. The human species can be destructive. The fact that we created this problem proves that. But people also can be resilient, creative and visionary when called on to be so. Unleashing the genius that lurks in the better parts of our nature could yet be our salvation.
In a column on the society’s website, Audubon President and CEO David Yarnold urged action, but said he does not expect everyone to take “heroic measures."
I’m asking each and every one of you to join me in taking personal actions on behalf of birds You know your local politics best. You understand the values that you and your peers bring to the climate conversation. Audubon works best when it works from the grassroots—we can’t and won’t dictate what the best path is for Minnesotans or Floridians or Californians. What we will do, however, is describe the destination and the urgency we feel. We know that some of you will be most comfortable doing something concrete and visible—for example, planting native grasses or trees in your yard to replace nonnative species. Or you may be inspired to work with others to protect a local Important Bird Area. Even now, Audubon members are wielding sophisticated mapping technology (not to mention common sense) in local land-use planning. And if you’re inclined to act in your state on the big, tough issues like water use and renewable energy, go for it. If your preference is to engage at the federal level to reduce greenhouse gases, we’ll support you. Why? Because conservation doesn’t have a party. This isn’t a Democratic or a Republican issue; this is a bird issue.
