RSS FeedsWild bird indicators for the English regions: 1994-2006
The UK index of wild bird populations is part of the Government's set of indicators for UK sustainable development, and the UK Biodiversity Partnership's Biodiversity Indicators. The indices for England are used as Defra's Public Service Agreement indicator on biodiversity.
Bird populations are considered a good indicator of the broad state of wildlife and countryside because they occupy a wide range of habitats, they tend to be near or at the top of the food chain, and considerable
long-term data on bird populations have been collected.
Regional versions of this key indicator have been developed on behalf of Defra by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB).
The key regional results are as follows:
- From 1994 to 2006, the South East saw the highest percentage decrease of any region in England for both farmland birds (21 per cent decline in population) and woodland birds (19 per cent).
- The population of all native birds in the South East, including farmland and woodland species, showed a decrease of 9 per cent between 1994 and 2006, differing from the slight increase seen across England.
- Previously published indices (albeit with differences in methodology and species composition) show that these recent trends follow on from longer term declines in native bird populations both in the region and in England as a whole. Farmland birds in the South East declined by 31 per cent from 1970 to 1994. Woodland birds declined by 21 per cent and all native species by 8 per cent.
- In the South East, South West and the West Midlands, the farmland bird population fell by more than 10 per cent between 1994 and 2006. There was no significant change in any of the other English regions. This compares with an overall England decrease of 7 per cent over the same period.
- The largest increase in woodland bird populations between 1994 and 2006 was in the North West, which saw a rise of 32 per cent. There was also an increase of 19 per cent in the Yorkshire and the Humber region. Other than the 19 per cent decline in woodland bird populations in the South East and 10 per cent in the South West, there was little change in the remaining regions. This compares with an overall England decline of 7 per cent over the same period.
Dated 21/05/2008
Owning Organisation
Defra - http://www.defra.gov.uk
Data Type
Data Series
Spatial Coverage
National and Regional
Theme
Environment