§ Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the change in the numbers of birds; and what steps are being taken to encourage the growth of the songbird population. [73556]
§ Mr. MorleyThe Department annually monitors the numbers of a whole range of birds, including songbirds, through the Breeding Bird Survey. This survey, conducted and funded jointly by the British Trust for Ornithology, the RSPB and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, assesses trends in the numbers of common species of birds across the country. A range of other surveys, funded by these organisations, assesses trends in scarcer species. Annual reports are produced for each of the surveys, but summary information derived from them is contained in the reportThe State of the UK's Birds 2001, which was published on 7 August.
It revealed:
Long term trends show that approximately 34 bird species including the buzzard, sparrowhawk, green woodpecker and the blue tit have increased between 1970 and 1999.Most species of common bird have shown short term increases between 1994 and 2000.The report also showed that over the period 1970 to 1999 19 species, including the marsh tit, have declined by more than 50 per cent.Twelve further species have showed a moderate decline of between 25 and 49 per cent., including the dunnock and the lapwing.Steps are being taken to encourage a growth in songbird numbers throughBiodiversity Action Plans, for species such as Skylark, Stone Curlew, Nightjar, Corn Bunting, and Song Thrush;Agri-environment schemes, which are currently being reviewed: these provide significant funding for promoting environmentally sustainable farming practices; more than £1 billion has been made available for the seven-year period 2000 to 2007.