Week 46
Week 46 The Netherlands National Bird (endangered) Junior farm minister Jean Rummenie is planning to set aside tens of millions of euros to save the black tailed godwit (limosa limosa), dubbed the Dutch national bird, whose number has been plummeting due to intensive farming methods, RTL news has reported. Rummenie, a minister on behalf of the pro-countryside BBB ( a citizen farmer political party), is currently working on a package of measures to shore up the godwit population, the broadcaster said. There are now just 25,000 breeding pairs in the country, compared with 120,000 in 1970. In August, the European Commission said the Netherlands is in breach of the European Bird Directive by failing to protect the godwit, putting it in danger of extinction. The Netherlands is of crucial importance for the survival of the bird as 80% of the black-tailed godwits in northwestern Europe come here to breed. The bird was even elected “national bird” of the Netherlands in 2015. Around the far...