This unusually high temperatures And drought With summer-specific values recorded this spring, it could have serious consequences for wild birds. Extreme heat in the middle of the breeding season threatens the reproductive success of species such as aviator or roe deer. swallowsthose who use mud to build their nests. SEO/BirdLife encourages citizens to help birds deal with this situation with simple actions.
“Each swallow or sycamore nest is made from tiny bits of mud carried in the beaks of busy parents. These birds take some mud, ‘chew’ it well to homogenize it and carefully deposit any air pockets it may contain. Luis Martínez, SEO/BirdLife technician at home,” he explains.
The amount of mud that songbirds can carry in their beaks is very limited. For example, an entire nest of House Martins may require more than 2,500 mouthfuls of mud. What is the same thing The couple can make more than 5,000 journeys between where they found the mud and where they nested. highlights the NGO during the two weeks devoted to completing the study.
In a scenario where hundreds of nests of these species are destroyed (legally and illegally) each year, SEO/BirdLife makes the situation worse without mud to rebuild nests, hindering their reproductive cycles.
Moreover, heat can cause puppies to jump out of their nests early and if the nest is exposed to the sun, it creates an ‘umbrella’ with their own bodies and wings, creating an extreme strain for the adults who will try to protect their chicks.
physiological stress
There is a lack of rain dramatic effects on vegetationwhich sees its growth and flowering as limited and offers fewer resources to birds to survive in water stress conditions.
Just like in humans, heat puts birds under great physiological stress. To cope with this, they need water sources to rehydrate their bodies and take refreshing baths.
“The simplest move to help the birds cope with the heat, supply them with water in windows, patios or gardensin a convenient and accessible container for them, like a simple saucepan”, states SEO/BirdLife.
He also points out that there are “settlements” to alleviate mud scarcity and allow airplanes and swallows to build their nests. marshes where they can collect the mud they need to build the nest structure, they try to make the material as close as possible to the nesting sites to avoid excessive energy loss in the transport paths”.
Given that water in general is an increasingly scarce resource and even more so in urban environments, SEO/BirdLife thinks it’s urgent for cities to be ‘green’.
“Overall, it would be much friendlier to humans as well as fauna if public administrations took biodiversity into account in the design and management of urban space. Because of their characteristics and the few natural barriers to buffer them, cities are particularly vulnerable to the effects of the climate emergencyBeatriz Sánchez of the NGO’s Urban Biodiversity program said, “It’s like heat waves.
Nature Based Solutions
“It has been sufficiently proven that nature-based solutions (NbS) is more efficient and less expensive than conventional ones to combat these effects. For example, city trees can help cool the air between 2 and 8 degreeslike this ‘heat island effect‘” says Sanchez.
NbS are approaches, actions or processes that use natural principles to solve different environmental problems such as climate change adaptation, resource management, water, food security or air quality and the environment. They are more efficient, economical tools with added value in cost savings and local job creation.
On the other hand, many studies show that living near and easy access to green spaces can improve people’s physical and mental health. Likewise, science has shown that the richness of bird species is positively related to the life satisfaction of Europeans. birds are an excellent indicator of the health of ecosystems and humans.
“We need greener cities, and this is something we need to consider when examining the electoral programs of any political entity in terms of the next elections,” Sánchez said.
SEO/BirdLife argues that the climate emergency is making it increasingly clear that there is a need. more nature in urban environments. “Cities have a huge responsibility for the loss of biodiversity in a climate emergency,” as they “deplete most of the planet’s resources, whether for energy, supplies or food.”
Rethinking the urban model
Cities are responsible for two-thirds of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. “According to United Nations projections, two-thirds of the world’s population will be living in urban areas by 2050, so we clearly need it. rethink our city model“, emphasizes NGO.
Large trees are excellent filters for urban pollutants and fine particles.. They absorb polluting gases (carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides, among others) and filter fine particles such as dust, dirt or smoke from the air, trapping them in leaves and bark.
According to the research conducted by the Metropolitan Municipality, Madrid trees sequester 637 tons of pollutants per yearAnd Urban green spaces in Barcelona absorb more than 300 tons of pollutants per year.
Mature trees regulate water flow and play a key role in preventing floods and reducing the risk of natural disasters. For example, a mature tree can hold more than 15,000 liters of water per year.
Nature has a tremendous influence even in the school setting. Many studies have proven that having more nature in the garden improves academic performance: 5% in working memory and 6% in superior working memory.
They also came to the conclusion that The amount of nature in the environment where the education centers are located positively affects the self-esteem of the students.. In addition, as SEO/BirdLife highlights, more residential green space is associated with better attention span and reduced memory and hyperactive behavior in boys and girls ages 4 to 6.
Study on the importance of birds to human well-being: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921800920322084
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Contact address of the environment department: [email protected]