Three leading conservation organisations have signed a new agreement that will help to secure the future of bird conservation in the UK. The chief executives of the BTO, JNCC and RSPB reaffirmed their longstanding commitment to the long-term bird monitoring schemes that underpin so much conservation science and action.
Birds are brilliant indicators of how the wider natural world is faring. Monitoring their populations can help us understand what is changing and guide policies and land management to secure a better future for birds, their habitats, and people.
Much-loved birds like swift and greenfinch are rapidly disappearing from the UK, but others, such as red kite, are increasing thanks to dedicated conservation efforts. We know this because of the thousands of dedicated and highly skilled volunteers who give their time to record information about our bird populations.
Together with the scientists who interpret the data, they help us to understand more about the ongoing biodiversity crisis, the impacts of climate change, and the urgent need for evidence to guide what we can do to protect nature from these and other threats. The new agreement, a scientific partnership that covers the period 2022–2027, is surely needed now more than ever.
Changes to delivery
For decades, BTO has organised the UK Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) and Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS), as well as both bird ringing and nest recording. The charity has now taken on additional responsibility for the Seabird Monitoring Programme (SMP) and the Goose and Swan Monitoring Programme (GSMP).
This means BTO is now the delivery lead partner across the full suite of bird monitoring programmes, providing data on the abundance of around 190 species. BBS, WeBS and SMP are funded jointly by BTO, RSPB and JNCC, while GSMP receives funds from JNCC, BTO and NatureScot.
Surveys such as the Breeding Bird Survey help collect data vital to nature conservation (c) Ben Andrew (rspb-images.com)
Focus for the future
For the next five years, the partners will coordinate the data collection, collation, analysis and reporting on bird populations across the UK with the aim of maintaining the schemes’ longevity as well as progress strategic priorities.
Volunteer participation by citizen scientists and skilled surveyors in the schemes will be expanded to truly represent the entirety of the UK, as well as expand data collection and strengthen the analytical power of our tools. These data and statistics are used to inform policy, conservation status or action for species. As rigorous, long time series datasets across over 7000 sites for more than 120 bird species, they are a vital contributor to bird conservation and to wider environmental policy and reporting.
During this nature and climate emergency, these critical monitoring schemes enable us to identify, prioritise, and ultimately resolve the most pressing of conservation threats. The focus on increasing participation to expand the already-impressive volunteer force will mean more data, better analysis, and ultimately stronger protection for UK nature.
hope for the best