Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Conservation Status of Birds in Spain

CONSERVATION STATUS OF BIRDS IN SPAIN

The latest available information about bird populations and

IBAs for the ‘InternationalYear of Biological Diversity

General results

It has not been possible to halt the loss of biodiversity

during the last decade.

Birds in farmland habitats

Modern farming methods are the cause of conservation

problems for many birds in Spain.

Birds in steppe habitats

This is the most neglected habitat in terms of conservation

measures, and almost all bird species associated with it

suffer conservation problems.

Birds in scrub habitats

The DartfordWarbler and the Southern Grey Shrike are

highlighted as the most endangered species of this

environment.

Birds in forest and woodland habitats

Although in general the conservation status of forest and

woodland birds is better than that in other habitats,many

species are still threatened.

Birds in alpine habitats

Currently this is one of the habitats with the least

information on bird populations.

Birds in rock face habitats

Although most birds of prey associated with this

environment show positive population trends, they are

still threatened.

Birds in wetland habitats

After years of working to conserve Spanish wetlands,

the situation for most of the associated bird species has

not improved and many are still seriously threatened.

Birds in marine habitats

This group includes many species which have been very

little studied; moreover, at sea there are numerous

threats which mean that many of them are endangered.

Birds in urban habitats

Although the overall population of the bird species

found in our cities is huge, some of them show worrying

population declines.

The status of Important BirdAreas

The network of important areas for bird conservation

has been completed thanks to the identification of

marine IBAs.