This report presents a set of indicators showing the status of waterbirds, considering their special importance in the context of the EU Birds Directive, and the effectiveness of other EU policies designed to maintain their habitats in good ecological status, such as the Water Framework Directive and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. Composite indices for waterbirds show an overall positive trend for waterbirds, though marine specialist species generally have a less favourable trend than coastal or freshwater specialist species,
The report has been prepared by Wetlands International European Association, using data from the International Waterbird Census, one of the largest and oldest citizen science biodiversity monitoring schemes in Europe. This long-term dataset provides a particularly good basis to assess the effectiveness of the EU Birds Directive and other EU policies for the conservation of waterbirds that winter in significant numbers in the European Union.
A Pilot Wintering Waterbird Indicator for the European Union
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