Bird species in Switzerland on verge of disappearance

Forty per cent of bird species in Switzerland are under threat Keystone Archive

The Swiss Ornithological Institute has warned that 40 per cent of bird species in Switzerland may disappear if not protected.

In a recent study, the institute says 80 of Switzerland’s 195 bird species are becoming endangered because they are lacking proper habitats to live and breed. This is true particularly in the wetlands and agricultural parts of the country.

“In the wetlands, the loss of habitat is the reason behind the decline of some bird populations,” Verena Keller, co-author of the institute’s study, told swissinfo. “In Switzerland, we’ve lost about 90 per cent of the wetlands that we had at the beginning of the 19th century.”

“With regard to agricultural landscapes, the birds’ disappearance is linked to the intensity of land use.”

The study

The institute’s study was aimed at assessing the overall welfare of bird species across Switzerland.

Although wetland birds are on the decline, species in the Alpine and woodland regions are relatively well-off.

Keller says that birds act as an important indicator of the general state of the environment. They are a precious source of information with regard to the devastating impact of deforestation, overuse of the land and the expansion of urban areas on nature.

“If a bird species disappears, this means that other taxonomic groups have been affected, such as insects, other invertebrate species and plants,” Keller explained.

In Europe

Across Europe, bird populations are on the decline. However, Switzerland is particularly hard-hit, because of its small size and dense population in low-lying areas.

Nevertheless, the country does possess habitats which are still in a fairly natural state, particularly in the mountains.

“Switzerland has a very high responsibility on a European scale to preserve those habitats which harbour typical species not found in many other countries,” Keller said.

Finding solutions

Keller says Switzerland must step up what are known as ecological compensation measures.

“The Swiss Ornithological Institute has shown that for instance creating strips of wild flowers between the fields is beneficial for birds,” Keller explained. “But we would have to introduce these measures on a much larger scale.”

“We must make sure that we preserve what we still have.”

by Jeff Nottage and Anna Nelson