preventing extinctions
eople often underestimate
nature’s power to bounce
back. Give it half a chance,
and habitats will start to
regrow, populations recover. There’s
no denying that humans create huge
challenges – but with enough support,
P
dedication and resources, we can also
reverse them. And the minute we do,
nature is there in the wings, waiting to
make a comeback.
There are some particularly shining
examples in the bird world. As we
report (see page 12), 25 bird species
have been rescued from the Critically
Endangered category since 2000.
And that’s not counting the ones
that would have vanished altogether
without the help of conservation.
We’ve picked just five of the most
inspiring examples.
Azores Bullfinch:
feasting once again
This adorably rotund finch has a fairytale rags-to-
riches story, rising from just 40 pairs to a population
1,000-strong in just over a decade.
The species depends entirely on the native laurel
forest of its Portuguese island home. Unfortunately,
vast swathes of these precious forests were
cleared for agriculture, or invaded by non-
native plants such as the aggressive Kahili Ginger
Hedychium gardnerianum.
After decades of decline, by 2005 it held the
ignominious title of Europe’s most threatened bird.
But just in the nick of time, a knight in shining armour
arrived in the form of the Portuguese Society for the
Study of Birds (SPEA – BirdLife Partner), who headed
the restoration of over 300 hectares of native laurel
forest. The Azores Bullfinch moved from Critically
Endangered to Endangered in 2010, but its comeback
didn’t end there. By 2016 it was downlisted once
again – this time to Vulnerable.
Black-faced Spoonbill:
a safe haven
jul-sep 2018 • birdlife
The shape of this bird’s beak is hard to miss. But it’s
not just for show – this spectacular spatula helps the
bird to find food. Rather like a metal detector, the
Black-faced Spoonbill Platalea minor sweeps its beak
from side to side in shallow waters until it touches
a tasty shrimp or fish. Unfortunately, the intertidal
mudflats on which it feeds are being encroached
upon by land reclamation and building along
the coast.
Unlike the Azores Bullfinch, this isn’t a bird
confined to a small set of islands. This bird migrates
across the whole of East Asia – so protecting it is a
different kind of challenge. That’s why China, North
Korea, South Korea and Japan united in a single
action plan for the species, turning many of its
key breeding grounds and overwintering sites into
protected areas. And it worked. Safe havens have
allowed the population to grow from a tenuous
300 to a secure 4,000.
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