With neonicotinoid pesticide ban, France’s birds make a tentative recovery – study | Birds
Populations of insect-eating birds in France appear to be showing a temporary recovery following the ban on bee-harming pesticides, according to the first study to examine how wildlife is returning to Europe.
Neonicotinoids are the world’s most common class of pesticides, widely used to control fleas in agriculture and domestic animals. By 2022, four years after the European Union banned the use of neonicotinoids in fields, researchers observed that France’s insect-eating bird population had increased by 2% to 3%. These included blackbirds, blackbirds and finches, which fed on insects as adults and chicks.
The results may be mirrored across the EU, where a neonicotinoid ban came into force in late 2018, but the research has not yet been conducted elsewhere. Lead researcher Thomas Perrot, of the Fondation pour la recherche sur la biodiversité in Paris, said: “Even a few percent [points’] the increase is significant; It shows that the ban made a difference. “Our results clearly indicate that neonicotinoid bans are an effective conservation measure for insect-eating birds.”
Like the EU, the UK banned the general outdoor use of neonicotinoids in 2018, although they can be used in exceptional circumstances. They are still widely used in the United States. Almost 3 billion insectivorous birds have been lost Since the 1970s.
studyThe research, published in the journal Environmental Pollution, looked at data collected from more than 1,900 sites across France by skilled volunteer ornithologists for the French Breeding Bird Survey. They divided the data into two groups: the five years before the ban, from 2013 to 2018; and the post-ban period from 2019 to 2022.
Perrot’s team analyzed data on 57 bird species in these areas, each measuring 2 km by 2 km (1.25 miles). They found that the number of insect-eating birds in areas where pesticides were applied was 12% lower than in areas without neonicotinoid use.
Other insect-eating animals, such as small mammals, bats and even fish, may also enjoy these benefits, Perrot said. Generalist birds such as wood pigeons and house sparrows appeared to be less affected, possibly because they have more flexible diets and do not rely on insects.
Frans van Alebeek, policy officer for rural areas at BirdLife Netherlands, said: “It took a lot of pressure to force governments to implement this ban. There was a lot of pressure from citizens on the EU parliament.”
“I’m surprised you can already see the improvement,” said Alebeek, who was not involved in the research. “This is extremely difficult to study, which makes this study very special. Its positive message is that it will help ban pesticides and result in wildlife recovery.”
Other researchers were more cautious about the findings. James Pearce-Higgins, director of science at the British Trust for Ornithology, said: “This is a study that suggests there may be early signs of a poor population recovery, but the results are uncertain and may depend on other associated factors.”
Habitat and climate are other factors that may explain differences in bird numbers, but it is difficult to draw a definitive conclusion. “This study highlights the value of long-term monitoring so we can better understand these trends in the future,” Pearce-Higgins said.
Bird numbers have fallen sharply in many countries around the world, and many studies show that insect loss is causing this decline.
Neonicotinoids are systemic insecticides that are absorbed by plants and present in their tissues, rendering any part of the plant toxic to insects that feed on it. They were introduced in the 1990s and quickly became widespread in Europe.
Mass deaths of bees were first reported in France and Germany in the early 2000s. Studies have shown that these chemicals – even in very small doses – can affect bees’ navigation and foraging. By the 2010s their impact on bees became a major public issue, and in 2018 the EU banned almost all outdoor use despite fierce objections from agricultural companies, especially chemical companies.
“The weak recovery following the ban makes sense,” Perrot said. “Neonicotinoids persist in soil for years and can continue to affect insects.
“Overall, our results suggest that it will take several decades for insectivorous bird populations to recover. But we think this is normal, because studies of other pesticides such as DDT show that it takes most bird populations 10 to 25 years to fully recover.”
Pesticides have a significant impact on birds developing countriesWhere there are fewer restrictions and the impacts remain largely undocumented.
Birds are greatly affected by agriculture, including pesticide use and habitat loss. More sustainable agriculture that reduces pesticides and restores semi-natural habitats will help bird populations recover, Perrot said. Some EU policies already encourage this through “green infrastructure” financing. “But if agriculture continues to focus on maximum yield rather than sustainability, we will continue to see the same declines,” Perrot said.
Alebeek said: “Neonicotinoids are part of a trend where the industry is getting better at finding chemicals that are highly effective at low concentrations – you use less but the toxicity doesn’t decrease.
“To me, this shows that our system of testing pesticides before they are released is not good enough. We have been doing this for all kinds of pesticides for 50 years; we go through the same process every 10 years and we learn very little from history.”
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