Princess Takamado of Japan has urged governments, businesses, scientists and communities to work together to protect biodiversity, warning threats facing birds are ultimately threats to human society.
Speaking at the United Nations Office at Nairobi on Monday, the honorary president of BirdLife International said environmental challenges could no longer be tackled in isolation because birds, ecosystems and people were bound together.
“Birds are always … [with] humans, by their ability to fly. Birds migrate and were migrating long before we started putting up national borders. They don't recognise national borders,” she said, stressing the importance of understanding the connections between wildlife and human activity.
Princess Takamado said birds offered an important measure of the health of the planet.
Migratory birds travel along established routes between continents and countries, crossing political boundaries in their search for breeding grounds, food and suitable habitats.
The Japanese royal said many of the threats confronting birds were caused by human activity, although not necessarily with malicious intent.
Solutions were possible, she added, but would require patience and action.
“Solutions are possible, but it needs patience, and it means [action] has to be taken.”
Princess Takamado is in Nairobi for the BirdLife International Global Partnership Meeting and second Global Flyways Summit happening between September 7 and 11.
BirdLife says the meeting comes at a critical moment, with 60 per cent of bird species declining and one in eight birds at risk of extinction. The organisation works through a global partnership spanning 120 countries.
Princess Takamado said the scale of the environmental challenge made international cooperation indispensable.
“The concept of the power of many allows us to harness collective power and work towards a common goal, creating long-term change that would not be possible individually,” she said.
She also highlighted the importance of scientific evidence in guiding conservation decisions, pointing to BirdLife's data resources as a repository of information that can be used by governments, international organisations, businesses and conservation groups.
“As you know, having accurate data is a paramount tool when you're trying to get support,” she said.
But the consequences of environmental degradation, she argued, go far beyond the loss of individual species.
She pointed to India's devastating vulture crisis, where the widespread use of a veterinary drug on cattle caused a catastrophic collapse in vulture populations.
The loss of the birds had consequences for the wider environment because vultures had provided a natural sanitation service by disposing of animal carcasses.
“Vultures are not everybody's favourite, but vultures are extremely important in the ecosystem because they are the ones who are nature's clean-up crew,” Princess Takamado said.
The collapse, she noted, was followed by increases in rats and feral dogs and wider concerns over disease.
“This does show, first of all, how birds are important in our ecosystem, and how the ecosystem converts into one with our human society,” she said.
Her presentation also touched on pollution, including the impact of lead and light pollution on birds.
Dr Stuart Butchart, BirdLife International's chief scientist, warned that lead exposure affects both wildlife and people.
He pointed to consequences including impacts on children's IQ and pregnant women, while noting that birds and other wildlife were also affected.
Butchart also highlighted the effects of artificial light on migratory birds, saying light and noise could interfere with their ability to navigate.
“Billions of individual birds who are flying, migrating … [are disturbed] in their ability to navigate, using stars,” he said.
