EU to Boost Protection of Endangered Bird Species
Date: 11-Nov-04
Country: NETHERLANDS
Author: Anna Mudeva
Government officials and representatives of environmental groups from 25 European Union members, plus three candidate states and Turkey, agreed at a conference on steps to meet the bloc's target to stop the decline of wildlife in Europe by 2010.
Monday they heard a report that more than 40 percent of all bird species in Europe face an uncertain future and some are so threatened they may disappear soon.
The measures agreed at the conference in the Netherlands must still be approved by the EU's environment bodies.
Recommendations include expanding Europe's network of protected areas to between 10 and 15 percent of the continent's territory by the end of next year, from 8 percent now, or 356,000 square km, conference organizers said.
The EU should also extend the protected areas at sea by 2008 to include all the coastal areas that form the continental shelf, the measures recommend.
"We can't close our eyes to scientific evidence that indicates a decline in the populations of many species, especially farmland birds," Dutch Agriculture Minister Cees Veerman, whose country holds the EU presidency, told the conference.
The report delivered Monday by BirdLife International, a British-based conservation group, said a number of bird species in Europe could disappear in the very near future if immediate action was not taken.
But it also noted that some of the most endangered species, such as the Eurasian griffon and the white-tailed eagle, have shown a marked recovery as a result of Europe's conservation initiatives under the Bird Directive, adopted 25 years ago.
The conference also recommended better integration of European policies on infrastructure, fisheries, forestry and agriculture with the Bird Directive as well as strengthening of research efforts, education and financing.
