The insanity of intensive agriculture - number of common farmland breeding birds was nearly halved in Cyprus in last decade

The latest assessment by BirdLife Cyprus shows that the numbers of common breeding birds in our forests, scrublands and farmland have declined by 10% since 2006. But the really worrying news is that, taken as a group, common breeding birds in our farmland habitats have declined by a dramatic 43% over the same period (2006-2014). The analysis is based on a systematic monitoring scheme for common birds organized by BirdLife Cyprus on behalf of the Department of Agriculture, and covering over 100 randomly selected sites across all habitats (except wetlands) thanks to the efforts of a team of skilled volunteer recorders. The trend data (produced using the widely used TRIM programme analysis) shows ‘dips’ in bird numbers that seem linked to drought years, but the overall downward trend remains a concern. The steep decline in farmland areas and for more farmland-dependent species, as compared to the relatively small decline overall (i.e. when all habitats and all common breeding species are included in the analysis) is alarming and points clearly to the need for more wildlife-friendly farming practices in Cyprus. Notable among the farmland species showing declines are the Chukar, the Roller, the Cyprus Wheatear and the Spanish sparrow.

Source: Birdlife Cyprus, August, 2014
http://www.birdlifecyprus.org/en/news-577-Common_breeding_birds_show_de…