State of the World's Birds 2004: indicators for our changing world

BirdLife International, Cambridge. Paperback, 72 pages.
ISBN: 0-946888-50-7, A4 landscape format.

Available free in downloadable pdf format from http://www.birdlife.org/

Launched at the recent BirdLife International World Conference (held in Durban, South Africa), this fact-filled publication provides a vivid overview of what birds can tell us about the condition our planet is in. Because birds are so conspicuous and so well-studied, their distribution and status are one of the best available means to monitor biodiversity.

The book is divided into three parts. The first section explores the state of the world's bird populations, with case studies from every part of the planet. Section two examines the ways in which birds reveal environmental ills, again with examples from the ice caps to the equator. The final section takes a look at the possible solutions which bird conservation projects offer to the planet as a whole.

As one of the delegates at the aforementioned conference, I was inspired by the tremendous collaboration between the more than 100 countries which comprise the BirdLife partnership. With a collective membership of over 2.5 million people, and a network of some 5000 grass roots community organisations, BirdLife is probably the world's most effective conservation organisation. One of the consistent themes of workshops at the Durban gathering was that those concerned with the long-term survival of birds and the wild places they inhabit, need to become better ‘story tellers'. We need to be able to put across convincing arguments to the captains of industry and the politicians we elect, that biodiversity must be safeguarded if humankind is to survive, let alone prosper. This brilliantly conceived and meticulously researched publication provides a wealth of information to all those working to conserve wild nature and the vital services which functioning ecosystems offer all of planet Earth's inhabitants.

- Duncan Butchart -

Posted: Birds by CC Africa, Date: 22 November 2006