Biodiversity research conducted by the Society of Wildlife and Nature at the request of the Taipei City Government’s Animal Protection Office has listed the 2010 Taipei International Flora Expo as one of the main causes of a noticeable decrease in the numbers of nine bird species that used to be prevalent in the capital.
The research is the latest in a series of similar studies carried out by the office annually since 2008 to gauge the effects of urban development on the city’s biodiversity.
The studies involved researchers being stationed at some of Taipei’s most spacious parks, such as Dahu Park and Dajia Riverside Park, in May and June of each year to record the species of birds they observed, as well as their numbers.
The nine species said to be in decline were the Japanese white-eye (Zosterops japonicus), the tree sparrow (Passer montanus), the oriental turtle-dove (Streptopelia orientalis), the red turtle-dove (Streptopelia tranquebarica), the spotted dove (Streptopelia chinensis), the house swift (Apus nipalensis), the black drongo (Dicrurus macrocercus), the crested myna (Acridotheres cristatellus) and the scaly-breasted munia (Lonchura punctulata).
The research attributed the decline of the species to human interference and the deterioration of green spaces in the city, including the city government’s conversion of large areas of parks into exhibition halls for the flora expo, its transformation of river banks and farmland into parks and adverse weather conditions in recent years.
Chinese Wild Bird Federation director-general Lin Shih-chung (林世忠) said both the red turtle-dove and spotted dove used to be easily observed, while the Japanese white-eye, the tree sparrow and the light-vented bulbul (Pycnonotus sinensis) are nicknamed “the urban trio” (城市三俠).
“The reduced numbers of these common bird species should set biodiversity alarm bells ringing… It is natural that birds will stop coming if there are not enough worms in our parks or farmland. The government should figure out ways to address the problem,” Lin said.
In response, the Animal Protection Office said land use changes and urban development would indeed cause birds to leave the capital and it had also noticed a decline in the city’s bird populations.
“However, the flora expo is only one of many factors that could have resulted in the decline. From an ecological point of view, it takes at least 10 years to determine whether the city’s ecosystem has deteriorated,” the office said.
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