Increased use of pesticides and fertilizers is causing bird populations to decline in UK and Europe, study finds

• Intensive agriculture, particularly the increased use of pesticides and fertilizers, has been found to be the main pressure behind the decline of most bird populations.
• The numbers of European farmland bird species were found to have more than halved between 1980 and 2016.
• The collaborative study used the most comprehensive data of its kind ever collected, measuring the impact of land use and climate change on 170 bird species monitored at 20,000 sites in 28 European countries over 37 years.
• Co-authors of the RSPB report say the study’s findings highlight the urgent need for UK governments to support farmers in reducing pesticide use and adopting environmentally friendly practices.

An increase in the use of pesticides and fertilizers on farmland has been identified as the main cause of declines in most bird populations across Europe, according to a major new study.

The collaborative study, published today by the scientific journal PNAS, used the most comprehensive data of its kind ever collected to understand what drives population change in European birds. [1]. It looked at how 170 bird species have responded to major human-induced pressures, including climate and land-use change, with research carried out at 20,000 monitoring sites in 28 countries over 37 years, and including data from the UK .

During the study period (1980-2016), common bird species in Europe have shown an overall decline in abundance of about a quarter (-25.4%).

The number of agricultural land types has more than halved over the same period – a decrease of about -56.8%. Declines were also observed in forest birds (-17.7%), urban dwellers (-27.8%), cold-preferring northern birds (-39.7%) and southern warm-birds (-17.1%) .

One of the main findings of the study is the negative impact that modern intensive farming practices have had on bird species across Europe, including the UK. The researchers found that intensification, as measured by the high use of pesticides and fertilizers, has led to the decline of many populations. Birds that rely on invertebrates for food, including Swift, Yellow Wagtail and Spotted Flycatcher, have been hit hardest.

Richard Gregory, lead author for the RSPB, said: “While many studies have tried to understand what has caused bird declines in the UK and Europe, this is the first to look at the main, man-made drivers of a movement, used the best available data. The results are convincing. They show the power of citizen science and collaboration across borders to better understand the natural world and what needs to be done to turn things around.

Along with the impact of intensive agriculture, the researchers also discovered direct relationships between the decline of bird populations and three other widespread pressures associated with human activity – a change in forest cover, urbanization and climate change (focusing on temperature). during the last decades. Unlike intensive agriculture, these pressures tended to have a greater impact on specific bird species.

James Heywood, National Convenor for the BTO/JNCC/RSPB Bird Breeding Survey (data from which contributed to this study) said: “The decline of farmland birds across Europe is one of the most striking observations from this study , in particular how widespread they are. What is also highlighted is how few forests the UK has compared to our continental neighbours. That said, the study makes clear that a simple increase in forest cover can mask other changes, particularly in the quality and nature of forests; planting managed forests will not bring the same benefits to birds as old forests or ancient forests, for example. This is very much a problem we are facing in the UK.”

The RSPB said the report highlights the need for nature-friendly farming to become the norm, for UK governments to support farmers in reducing pesticide use and adopting nature-friendly principles, while improving testing and understanding exactly what chemicals are being used. used on land.

Alice Groom, Head of Sustainable Land Use Policy at the RSPB in England said: “Our increasing reliance on pesticides and fertilizers has allowed us to farm more intensively and increase production, but as this study clearly shows, at a cost of great for our wildlife and the health of the Environment. However, we also know that nature loss, along with climate change, poses the greatest medium and long-term risk to domestic food security.

“Without farmers, we have no hope of tackling the nature and climate emergency, but they need the right policies and support if they are to produce healthy food while helping to reverse wildlife decline and restore the environment.

“The UK and devolved governments must ensure that agri-environment schemes reward environmentally friendly farming practices such as flower and plant-rich margins, which have been proven to enable farmers to produce good food while supporting progressive reductions in pesticide and fertilizer use.

Many farmers and land managers across the country are already adopting such practices, moving toward a nature-friendly approach that is helping nature recover, producing healthy food and profits, and contributing to climate change goals.

In order to fully monitor and test the impact of a range of measures, in 2000 the RSPB purchased Hope Farm, a 181 hectare arable farm in south Cambridgeshire. The adoption of nature-friendly agricultural practices has resulted in a 177% increase in the number of farmland bird breeding territories in the country, while wintering species have increased even more – almost 15 times more. The number of butterflies has increased by 398%.

Despite taking over 10% of farmland out of cultivation for nature and moving away from conventional production since 2000, the business has maintained a similar level of profit while nature has recovered and returned. Additionally, in 2019 Hope Farm went insecticide-free, but did not see any significant yield reduction from previous years when compared to national averages.