【61】亚洲及美国的鸟类数量急剧减少

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Bird populations in Asia and the US are "in crisis"

亚洲及美国的鸟类数量 “陷入危机”

Bird markets on Java, Indonesia's most densely populated island, are a cacophony of song. This is a trade fuelled by a national passion for birdsong, including competitions where the best singers can win prizes worth thousands of pounds.

在印度尼西亚人口最密集爪哇岛上，鸟市上充斥着刺耳嘈杂的歌声。推动这行买卖的是全国人民对鸟儿歌声的热爱，比如，最佳“歌手”可以赢得价值数千镑的奖项。

But scientists studying the trade say there are now more birds in cages in Java than there are in the wild. This conclusion comes from one of two major studies that point to a global crash in bird numbers.

但研究这行买卖的科学家们说，在爪哇岛上，关在笼子里的鸟的数量比野生的要多。这一结论来自两项表明全球鸟类数量锐减的主要研究之一。

The other, by scientists in the US and Canada, revealed there are three billion fewer birds in North America today than there were in 1970. Habitat loss driven by human activity has been blamed.

另一项由美国及加拿大的科学家们开展的研究显示，北美的鸟类数量比1970年减少了 30 亿只。人类活动导致的栖息地丧失是罪魁祸首。

But researchers are hopeful that the conclusion will be a trigger for the protection of important habitats and migration routes to make much needed space for birds to return.

但研究人员们希望，这一结论会激起人们保护重要栖息地和迁徙路线的意识，从而给鸟类数量回升创造出急需的空间。