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Migration: Research evaluates protected areas for migratory birds

7 March 2025
By James Hamilton
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Nightingale by Chris Knights/BTO

Many migratory bird species have experienced significant declines in recent decades. In the UK, the Turtle Dove population has dropped by a staggering 98%, while beloved species like the Cuckoo, Swift, and Nightingale are returning from Africa in ever-decreasing numbers each spring.

While we recognise some of the challenges these long-distance travellers encounter, each species faces unique obstacles as they navigate immense journeys between north and south.

One of the many issues facing declining species, is the poor condition or loss of habitat at some, or all, of the stages of their lifecycle. For migratory birds especially, this can be particularly problematic as they rely on different areas at different life cycle stages.

Researchers from the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), in collaboration with the University of Durham and others, have been looking into the migratory routes of 30 different species of bird to see how much of their life cycles are spent in areas that provide adequate protection and quality habitat.

What if their breeding areas are protected and in good condition, but their wintering grounds are not? What about those for whom the essential feeding and resting areas on their migratory routes are seriously denuded, resulting in key stop-over destinations being in far-from optimal condition? Habitat destruction, pollution, hunting, and climate change are all contributing to declining populations of multiple bird species. Protected areas may provide productive, safe habitats at certain points in the birds’ year, but there are critical periods where the landscapes they inhabit are of poor quality, or pose potential threats.

In December 2022, Parties to the Convention on Biodiversity agreed a global target to conserve 30% of Earth's land and seas by 2030. This initiative is known as ‘30x30’ and seeks to ensure that countries are proactive in securing protected areas that not only meet the requirements on paper, but also deliver effectively for nature.

Providing effective protection for migratory bird species can be difficult when they pass through several nations, and ensuring protected areas along the entirety of a bird’s flyway is rarely an achievable task. But by better understanding the peaks of movement in certain areas, temporary conservation measures such as seasonal hunting bans, or changes to livestock grazing regimes in specific places could help significantly.  

It is hoped that by using this study’s analytical method to identify specific weeks of the year when key migratory species are most vulnerable, due to a lack of protected area cover, conservationists can then focus on protecting primary sites at those particular times. For example, we have recently seen that seasonal hunting bans significantly benefited the declining Turtle Dove across areas of Europe.

This approach could guide planning for new protected sites being designated under the 30x30 target. In this way we can help to ensure migratory species are adequately covered by protected areas in the future and hopefully help to halt or reverse their declines.

Jennifer Border, Senior Research Ecologist at BTO, says: "Many migratory birds are lacking effective protection or access to protected areas, when it matters most. By better understanding each migratory species’ requirements at all stages of their lifecycle, we can hope to implement practical protection for key sites, at peak periods of their journey." 
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