Cambridge, UK: BirdLife International: “…our data show that the state of the world’s biodiversity, as reflected by its 9,856 living bird species, continues to get worse, and that, if anything, this deterioration is accelerating, not slowing. Moreover, while governments have made copious verbal commitments to conserving biodiversity and safeguarding the environment, the resources available for this have scarcely grown in ten years and still fall far short of what is needed. Alarm calls from the world’s birds are becoming ever louder and more urgent. It’s time to listen properly to what the birds are telling us, and start making changes that are positive and significant.”