Human activity has led to the extinction of almost 1,400 bird species. That’s twice as much as previously thought, according to a new study published this week in the journal Natural communications. That means it’s lost 1 of 9 extant bird species, largest vertebrate extinction in history caused by humans.
The study was conducted by the British Center for Environment and Development. The researchers explained that these extinctions occurred due to direct or indirect human influence. They mention activities ranging from hunting and bird consumption to habitat destruction and the introduction of invasive species.
Bird extinctions have been recorded in more detail since the 16th century, but knowledge of species before this time is imprecise. It is based on fossils, and the light bones of birds break down over time. This is why the true scale of global extinction is unknown.
The team used statistical models to estimate the total number. The result showed that a total of 1,430 bird species – almost 12% of all – have gone extinct throughout modern human history, dating back to the late Pleistocene, about 130,000 years ago. “Human activity likely contributed to almost all of these extinctions.”says the study report.
“Our research shows that human influence on bird diversity is much greater than previously thought,” said Rob Cook, an ecological modeler at UKCEH and lead author of the study. “We show that many species went extinct before written records and left no traces behind, they were lost to history.”
Bird extinction and its impact on the environment
Records and fossils show the extinction of 640 bird species since the late Pleistocene period. 90% of them occurred on islands inhabited by people. The list ranges from the famous Mauritian dodo to the North Atlantic great auk.
However, the researchers, using their statistical models, estimated that another 790 unknown extinctions had occurred. All the variables indicate that about 50 of the 1,430 species may have gone extinct naturally, Cook said.
His team says the extinction of 570 bird species occurred after humans first arrived in the eastern Pacific, including Hawaii and the Cook Islands. They also believe that a major extinction event occurred in the 9th century BC, caused primarily by the arrival of humans in the western Pacific, including Fiji and the Mariana Islands, as well as the Canary Islands.
And an event happens ongoing extinction that began in the mid-18th century. Since then, in addition to increased deforestation and the spread of invasive species, the birds have faced climate change, intensive agriculture and pollution.
“These historic extinctions have important implications for the current biodiversity crisis,” said paper co-author Søren Faurby, a researcher at the University of Gothenburg. The world has not only lost many interesting birds. “As well as its diverse ecological functions, which likely include key functions such as seed dispersal and pollination,” the scientist explained.
The danger of unprecedented species extinction
The researchers also used New Zealand records and research as a basis for their statistical models. According to the team, the country is the place in the world with the best records of pre-human birds, with well-preserved remains. The fewer studies conducted in a region, the more incomplete the fossil record will be and the greater the estimated number of undiscovered extinctions.
Another study published by the same research center estimates that the disappearance up to 700 more bird species in the next few hundred years. This would mean unprecedented destruction of species due to human causes.
“Whether more bird species go extinct is up to us,” Cook says. Recent conservation efforts have already saved some species. He explains that efforts need to be stepped up to restore the habitats of endangered birds with the support of local communities.
Source: Hiper Textual
