A Wing And A Prayer

The shocking decline in birds worldwide is a disaster of humanity’s making.

- Sally Blundell

 

Between our paved back­ yards and potted plants, our drained wetlands and vast areas of monoculture – there is silence.

Nearly six decades since Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring exposed the devastat­ing effects of DDT on humans and wildlife, bird populations around the world are plummeting.

Just under half of New Zealand’s indigenous bird species are in serious trouble. Globally, more than 1300 species of birds – one in eight, reports the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) – are threatened with extinction.

The German Green Party warned last year, “The situation of birds is dramatic. A ‘silent spring’ could be on the horizon.”

In France, Benoît Fontaine, conservation biologist at the National Museum of Natural History, describes the situation as “catastrophic”, adding, “Our farmland is turning into a real desert.”

In June, 232 scientists across the globe signed a petition calling for a ban on a specific family of insecticides called neo­ nicotinoids, citing their devastating effect on beneficial insects and their contribution to “the massive losses of global biodiver­ sity”. The journal Nature found a correlation between declines in some bird populations and the use of pesticides.

Indeed, the removal of insects from the food chain has seen headlines warning of “ecological Armageddon”.