Nearly Half Of Migratory Waterbird Populations In Africa, Asia In Decline – UN
New York, Sep 16 2008 7:10PM
Poorly planned economic development is at the root of the more than 40 per cent plunge in migratory waterbird
populations travelling across Africa and Eurasia, according to a new United Nations-backed report issued today.
Waterbirds, who must travel up to thousands of kilometres to complete their breeding cycles, are extremely vulnerable to
changes in the environment.
The publication, prepared for a meeting under way in Antananarivo, Madagascar, of the African-Eurasian Waterbird
Agreement (AEWA), said that the figure is at an even higher 55 per cent in Western and Central Asia.
Despite varying causes behind the decline in these populations, the most frequent source is habitat destruction and
wetlands exploitation, both often spurred by unsustainable human activity, according to the report, which was supported
by the UN, according to a press release issued by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
Its findings are “a clear signal that both national and international efforts to conserve migratory waterbirds and their
habitats need to be significantly increased,” said Bert Lenten, AEWA’s Executive Secretary.
ENDS