British scientists question EU bird policy

EXETER, England, March 13 (UPI) -- A British-led study has questioned the efficacy of an EU conservation policy designed to protect endangered birds.

New research from the University of Exeter, in collaboration with the University of Texas at Austin, questions the 1979 EU Birds Directive. A 2007 study by scientists from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and BirdLife International argued the policy had resulted in positive impacts on bird conservation, even saving species that were near extinction.

The new research, however, said those arguments were flawed, since they were based on inadequate data and predictions. By simply comparing bird populations inside and outside of the EU, the research didn't take into account the fact that EU countries are generally wealthier and more developed than European countries outside the EU.

Additionally the evidence used to support the EU policy included marine reserves in some countries but ignored them in others, the Exeter scientists said, creating the impression the EU policy for bird protection has been a success when, in reality, it might have fallen short of its original aims.

The study appeared in the Feb. 22 issue of the journal Science.