Worldwide, bird populations are in decline. Their shrinking numbers are an unfortunate reminder of the negative impact that humans are having on the planet.
Most of us can agree that birds are beautiful creatures. Who doesn’t enjoy the sound of wood thrush in the spring or the sight or a wood duck on a forest pond? But birds are more than beauty. They perform valuable services that have a direct economic value.
Experiments have demonstrated that agricultural fields and forests grow better in the presence of birds—due to birds feeding on insects that are otherwise harmful to plants. Evidence also suggests that bird diversity reduces our chances of contracting West Nile virus. When we abuse the landscape, the generalist species that dominate, such as crows, are exceptionally good carriers and amplifiers of the West Nile virus.
A number of bird species also play an important role in seed dispersal, pollination, and the control of nuisance insects like mosquitoes. In the absence of chimney swifts and swallows, summer nights would be a miserable experience.
Dr. Peter Marra of the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute sees bird populations as a barometer of our planet’s health…
“People need to start thinking of themselves as part of an ecosystem – an ecosystem that we share with things like birds, mammals, and reptiles. When we see declines in populations of species like birds, it’s not a good sign. Our earth, our planet is sick. It’s sneezing. It’s got the flu. And we need figure out what’s going on there because there are all sorts of other ways that that might manifest itself and how that might impact human beings.”
The moral of the story is that when we protect birds, we protect ourselves.
Web Extra
Full interview with Dr. Peter Marra of the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute…
[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Marra_web_full-interview_compressed.mp3|titles=Marra_web_full interview_compressed]Photo, taken on February 5, 2010 using a Canon EOS 7D, courtesy of Mark via Flickr.