English

The Dutch population of the Great Reed Warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus has declined by 90% from 1960 to 1990 (from 5,000 breeding pairs in 1950-1960 to 400-550 in 1989-1991), and continued to decline by 6% per annum since 1990. The territories of a large Great Reed Warbler colony in the shallow Reeuwijk lakes (at 52◦2’ N and 4◦45’E in the Western part of the Netherlands, near Gouda), which originated from peat-digging in the 16th and 17th century, decreased from 90-100 in 1975, 40 in 1993, 20 in 1997, 14 in 2000, 8 in 2004 to just 6 in 2005. The Reeuwijk polder is mainly used for agriculture and surplus water during wet periods is discharged via the Reeuwijk lakes to the Breevaart canal, which may expose insects in the Reeuwijk lakes to surface water contaminated with pesticides. Surface water analyses in the vicinity of the Reeuwijk lakes have revealed excessively high concentrations of imidacloprid and carbamates (carbendazim and propoxur) that are bound to be toxic to insects. There is supporting evidence. Monitoring data for the characteristic dragonfly Aeshna viridis (a food source for the Great Reed Warbler) in the Reeuwijk lakes since 1998 indicate that this population is declining. The populations of other dragonflies characteristic of peat bogs in the Netherlands, i.e. Leucorrhinia pectoralis (large white faced darter) and Sympecma paedisca are also in decline since the 1960s.

The Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa used to flourish in the peat soil habitats in the western part of the Netherlands. Invertebrates profited from enrichment of the soil with manure and fertilisers and earthworms (Lumbricidae), leatherjackets (Tipulidae), snails and other species were abundant. The combination of abundant food, at least for adult birds, and the soft peat soil (which is easily penetrated by the long bill of the Black-tailed Godwit) made the western part of the Netherlands a prime breeding habitat for the Black-tailed Godwit. Nearly 80% of the western Europe population of the Black-tailed Godwit, currently estimated at 80,000 pairs and by far the largest in Europe, breed in the Netherlands. However, the key Dutch breeding population underwent a large decline from 120,000-135,000 in 1969, 85,000-100,000 in 1989-1991 to 62,000 in 2004. Over the last 15-20 years, the important breeding populations in Germany, Poland and Belarus have been reduced by 50% as well. Evidence collected in the Wormer- and Jisperveld reserve in the western province of North-Holland (a 2200 ha soft peat wetland reserve with high water tables and restrictions in agricultural management) suggests that the decline of the Black-tailed Godwit may be caused by a lack of larger insects on which the chicks depend for their survival.

The evidence provided by the Dutch Water Boards on imidacloprid contamination of surface water (attached) indicates that, in any case in the western part of the Netherlands, high concentrations of imidacloprid are diffused through the environment, which may kill or debilitate insects and possibly other arthropods. Attached is a map of Holland showing the agricultural areas where the use of imidacloprid is permitted.

The use of imidacloprid in Dutch agriculture rose from 668 kg on 5,335 hectares in 1995 to 6, 377 kg on 40,007 hectares in 2004 . Since 2004 major contamination of Dutch surface water with imidacloprid has been detected by the Water Boards, particularly in the western part of the country. The highest concentration was measured in Noordwijkerhout in December 2005: 320,000 ng/L. The maximum permissible limit for imidacloprid in Dutch surface water is 67 ng/L. Imidacloprid is stable to breakdown by water at neutral pH and degrades with a half-life of 355 days in more basic solutions.

Soil acts as a major sink for bulk of the pesticides used in agriculture and public health programs. Leaching is a major transportation process responsible for ground water contamination, which is a major concern worldwide as ground water is a source of drinking and irrigation water in many countries. An Indian study demonstrates high mobility of imidacloprid in soil and high potential for leaching. Thiamethoxam also has a potential to leach down under heavy rainfall conditions.

The European Plant Protection Products Registration Directive (91/414/EEC) requires that there is not an unacceptable impact on non-target organisms in the aquatic and terrestrial environment and that the annual average concentration of an active substance or relevant metabolite does not exceed 0.1 microgram per liter in any ground water. Leaching is a major process for the transport of pesticides to ground and surface water. Four factors govern the potential for groundwater contamination by pesticides passing through the soil: properties of the soil and of the pesticide, hydraulic loading (total amount of water applied to the soil) on the soil, and crop management practices. The most sensitive soil is an irrigated sandy soil with very low organic matter content. The least sensitive soil is a well-drained clayey soil with high organic matter content.

England's bees are vanishing faster than anywhere else in Europe, with more than half of hives dying out over the last 20 years, according to a new study.

Since 1994 the Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) has revealed a major decline in the numbers of some woodland birds but those with the most specialist habitat requirements (some of which are also long-distance migrants), have shown the most dramatic declines, notably willow tit Parus montanus (down 77 per cent), spotted flycatcher Muscicapa striata (down 59 per cent), wood warbler Phylloscopus sibilatrix (down 57 per cent) and pied flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca (down 54 per cent). In France, there has been a steep decline since the 1990s of the Wood Nuthatch Sitta europaea (down 48%),Willow Warbler Phylloscopus trochilus (down 54%), Marsh Tit Parus palustris (down 53%), Grey-faced Woodpecker Picus canus (down 62%), Wryneck Jynx torquilla (down 44%) and Common Crossbill Loxia curvirostra (down 54%) as well. Similarly dramatic decline took place in the woodlands of Germany since the 1990s (with the exception of the Wood Nuthatch). The German Golden-Oriole Oriolus oriolus is in decline since the 1990s as well. The dramatic woodland bird decline in the UK, France and Germany appears to be associated with decline of the Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus, which nearly exclusively takes birds. The Northern Goshawk Accipiter gentilis is in steep decline in Germany as well.

In a Europe-wide study in eight West and East European countries negative effects of agricultural intensification were observed on wild plant, carabid and bird species diversity. Of the 13 components of intensification measured, use of insecticides and fungicides had consistent negative effects on biodiversity.