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The study of birds represents a very special contribution to our appreciation of the world around us. Birds are better researched than any other group of animals or plants. They hold a special place within a large number of cultures throughout the world. They also act as biological indicators, showing us the implications of environmental change. To understand birds is to begin to understand the world.
There are more than 9000 species of birds. Today, over 1000 of these are threatened with extinction another 5000 are declining. The facts hardly seem to do justice to the grim realities. Each of these species is unique. To lose one species is to deprive future generations of the opportunity to share our sense of wonder and joy. Once gone they will never return. For many of us the potential loss of a single bird species is sufficient to ring the alarm bell yet there are excellent reasons why we should all concern ourselves with the conservation of our threatened and declinig birds. They are the small, visible tip of a large iceberg: for every threatened bird species there are numerous other, less conspicuous animal and plant species that inhabit the same ecosystem and are threatened by the same factors as the birds. Globally, at least one million plant and animal species are threatened. They represent an import¬ ant proportion of the world’s finite genetic resources. Today, mankind does have the power to stop this accelerating loss of species, but we all must show willingness to use that power.
I am delighted to endorse this marvellous Handbook on behalf of the International Council for Bird Preservation (ICBP). I have always believed that any contribution to our knowledge of birds is an additional step towards ensuring their conservation. I am particularly pleased to be associated with this series of volumes because it recognises that birds are not a national possession but a global treasure. When we start to acknowledge the world’s birds as our own then we are recognising our responsibility to the whole planet. ICBP is a global organisation. We represent people from every continent. Together they constitute a deep appreciation for the role that birds can play in demonstrating the delicate balance in the environment. We upset that equilibrium at our peril.
We live on a small and vulnerable planet. Our actions as individuals can either contribute to the well-being of our collective home, or they can destroy it. Let us all learn to study and enjoy the birds of the world. In doing so we are adding to our ability to save the world