Environmental Statistics
Wild Bird Indicators for The English Regions: 1994-2006
Published: 22 May 2008
The UK index of wild bird populations is part of the Government’s set of indicators for UK sustainable development, the UK Biodiversity Partnership’s Biodiversity Indicators and indices for England are used as Defra’s Public Service Agreement indicator on biodiversity.
Bird populations are considered a good indicator of the broad state of wildlife and countryside because they occupy a wide range of habitats, they tend to be near or at the top of the food chain, and considerable long-term data on bird populations have been collected.
Regional versions of this key indicator have been developed on behalf of Defra by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB).
The key regional results are as follows:
- In the West Midlands, the South West and the South East, the farmland bird population fell by more than 10 per cent. There was no significant change in any of the other English regions. This compares with an overall England decrease of 7 per cent over the same period.
- The largest increase in woodland bird populations between 1994 and 2006 was in the North West, which saw a rise of 32 per cent. There was also an increase of 19 per cent in the Yorkshire and the Humber region. There was a decrease of 19 per cent in the South East and 10 per cent in the South West, but little change in the remaining regions. This compares with an overall England decline of 7 per cent over the same period.
These regional indicators are summarised in a Defra statistical report Wild Bird Indicators for the English Regions: 1994-2006 (PDF 291KB) which is based on a research report produced for Defra by the RSPB and BTO to be published shortly. A previous research report by the RSPB and BTO on the production of BBS-based Regional Indicators for Wild Bird Populations: 1994-2004 (PDF 554KB) is available. Additional comment is provided by an addendum for 2005 data (PDF 37 KB).
In Detail:
Further Information:
- Source:
- Defra, RSPB, BTO
- Key Facts:
- Population of wild birds
- Changes in farmland bird populations
- Changes in woodland bird populations
- Sustainable Development Indicators:
- See: UK Government Sustainable Development Strategy indicators
- References, further reading and links to other resources:
- Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB)
- British Trust for Ornithology (BTO)
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Page last modified: 22 May 2008
Page published: 15 March 2007