Weak recovery of insectivorous bird populations after ban of neonicotinoid in France, hinting at lasting impacts

#pesticides
#biodiversity
#birds
#pollinators
#bees
#bird_decline
#birddecline
#insects
#neonics
#neonicotinoids

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

New research - Weak recovery of insectivorous bird populations after ban of neonicotinoid in France, hinting at lasting impacts

#pesticides
HT @jeroenvandersluijs.bsky.social
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

⚠️ Takeaway:
✅ Imidacloprid harms insectivorous birds (also shown in 🇺🇸 & 🇳🇱).
❗️But banning a pesticide alone isn’t enough—habitat restoration and ecosystem recovery actions are essential to help insects 🐞 and birds 🐦 bounce back.

📊 Key finding:
Before the ban, sites without imidacloprid hosted 12.7% more insectivorous birds than treated sites.
After the ban, the gap narrowed to 9% → a slight recovery, but far from a full population rebound

We studied the impact of imidacloprid on 57 sedentary bird species across 🇫🇷 before (2013–2018) and after (2019–2022) its ban. 🐦🌱

🚨 New paper in Environmental Pollution
“Weak recovery of insectivorous bird populations after ban of neonicotinoid in France, hinting at lasting impacts”
👉 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... / urlr.me/kHNUah

These results were made possible thanks to the support of @frbiodiv.bsky.social

Why it matters 👉 TAT identifies the most toxic molecules + hotspots where biodiversity policies should focus.
Recent bans (e.g. diquat, neonicotinoids) reduced pressures, but impacts on biodiversity still need to be confirmed. 🌍 #biodiversity #TAT

Our findings:
⬇️ Pressure decreased for 4 groups (terrestrial vertebrates, pollinators, soil organisms, aquatic plants)
⬆️ Increased for 1 (aquatic invertebrates)
➡️ Stable for 3 (fish, terrestrial arthropods, terrestrial plants)

Spatially, highest pressures = North & West France.

🚨 New study out in Journal of Hazardous Materials (urlr.me/WCSNJm): we tracked pesticide pressures across France using the new Total Applied Toxicity (TAT) index. Unlike older indicators, TAT accounts for both pesticide amounts and their toxicity. 🌱🐝🐟 #pesticides

📣 🪲 Check out this paper led by @tperrot.bsky.social, which provides a clear demonstration that the intensive use of pesticides can be more detrimental than beneficial for crop production due to their negative impacts on natural pest control.

New publication in Proceedings B: urlr.me/qZ39CJ. We show that the use of insecticides reduces rapeseed yields beyond a threshold of 36g/ha. The reason is that insecticides reduce natural regulation, leading to an increase in insect pests and weeds!

Nouvelle publication dans Proceedings B: urlr.me/qZ39CJ. Nous montrons que l’utilisation d'insecticides réduit les rendements de colza au-delà d’un seuil de 36g/ha. La raison, les insecticides réduisent la régulation naturelle entraînant une augmentation des insectes ravageurs et des adventices !