Black-tailed godwit (Limosa limosa), a waterbird with habitats ranging from the Russian far-east to Europe, Africa, and Australasia.
Credit: Szabolcs Nagy, Wetlands International
Big data study of global biodiversity shows ineffective national governance is a better indicator of species decline than any other measure of "anthropogenic impact". Even protected conservation areas make little difference in countries that struggle with socio-political stability. We now know that governance and political stability is a vital consideration when developing future environmental policies and practices - Tatsuya Amano A vast new study of changes in global wildlife over almost three decades has found that low levels of effective national governance are the strongest predictor of declining species numbers - more so than economic growth, climate change or even surges in human population. The findings but only when situated in countries that are reasonably stable politically with sturdy legal and social structures. The research used the fate of waterbird species since 1990 as a bellwether for broad biodiversity trends, as their wetland habitats are among the most diverse as well as the most endangered on Earth. An international team of scientists and conservation experts led by the University of Cambridge analysed over 2.4 million annual count records of 461 waterbird species across almost 26,000 different survey sites around the world. The researchers used this giant dataset to model localised species changes in nations and regions.
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