Climate change affecting UK bird populations, report says
The golden plover faces deteriorating habitat conditions.
A new report has suggested that climate change could already be affecting bird populations across the UK.
Experts warn that climate change has already resulted in ‘major shifts’ in where species live and how common they are. It has also impacted the timings of key life events, such as breeding and migration.
The report, Climate change and the UK’s birds: Impacts, risks and conservation responses, is the result of a collaboration between the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and the British Trust of Ornithology (BTO). It estimates the prediction of ongoing climate change on the populations of UK birds, as well as recommending urgent action to protect species.
It states that upland birds and seabirds have already faced steep declines in their populations.
For example, upland species such as the dotterel and the golden plover are facing deteriorating habitat conditions, which the report links to changing soil moisture levels. Meanwhile seabirds, including the puffin and arctic tern, have been impacted by warming seas, reduced food availability and increased exposure to storms.
Under high-emission scenarios, the report predicts that seabird populations could decline by more than 80 per cent. Losses could be increased by other pressures including habitat loss and human disturbance.
For highly adaptable species, however, the milder weather and improved breeding conditions have resulted in increased numbers.
However, organisations warn that these gains can contribute to reduced diversity in bird communities. This could mean adaptable generalists, like the little egret, could displace more specialist species.
It is also impacting the winter distributions of waterbirds, with many Arctic-breeding species’ winter ranges contracting to the north and east. Birds no longer need to cross the North Sea to find favourable conditions.
This has led to declines in the populations of the Bewick’s swan and the goldeneye.
Katie-jo Luxton, RSPB director of conservation, said: “Climate change is already reshaping the UK’s birdlife, and the warning signs are impossible to ignore. Without urgent conservation action, upland birds and seabirds will continue to face rapid declines, while species from the south push northward as temperatures rise.
“This shift is happening quickly, and the evidence underscores a stark reality, the UK’s protected areas and the matrix of land between them will become even more vital as the climate continues to change.”
The full report can be found here.
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