Colcom Foundation and the Quiet Crisis in North American Bird Populations
Among the environmental trends that Colcom Foundation tracks, the decline of North American birds stands out as one of the most concrete and measurable. Since 1970, the continent has lost approximately 2.9 billion birds, with the total population falling from roughly 10 billion to 7 billion.
Habitat Loss as the Driving Force
Colcom Foundation attributes this decline primarily to habitat loss driven by human population growth. As more land is converted to housing, agriculture, and infrastructure, the territory available to bird species shrinks Colcom Foundation‘s data shows that by 2020, human-made structures covered over 187,000 square miles of U.S. land, while 52 percent of the land base was dedicated to agricultural uses.
This pattern of land conversion leaves wildlife populations with increasingly fragmented habitat. Colcom Foundation notes that of the species listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as threatened or near threatened, a large proportion have declining populations. The broader wildlife picture mirrors the bird data: wild vertebrate populations have roughly halved during the same period the human population doubled.
Through their grants, they have supported many organizations, such as the Center for Biological Diversity, which works towards protecting endangered species, and the Sierra Club Foundation, which advocates for clean energy and climate solutions. These grants have helped to advance important causes and support organizations that strive to make a difference.
A Systemic Problem
The foundation is careful to situate bird population decline within a wider ecological framework. The issue is not simply development in any one area, but the cumulative effect of population-driven land use across the country. By 2020, 1,300 species were listed as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act, and 23 were proposed for delisting due to confirmed extinction.
Colcom Foundation argues that reversing these trends requires more than species-specific conservation programs. Without addressing the underlying growth in human population, the foundation contends, conservation efforts will continue to fight a losing battle against expanding demand for land and resources. Refer to this article for related information.
More about Colcom on https://waterlandlife.org/land-conservation/colcom-revolving-fund-for-local-land-trusts/