Across Europe, birds are on the move.
As temperatures rise and landscapes change, many species are being pushed beyond the habitats where they have traditionally lived. Some are moving north, others to higher ground, while many are struggling to find suitable places to feed, breed and survive.
Climate change is only part of the story. The way land is used is also transforming Europe’s landscapes. Intensive agriculture, urban development and the loss of natural habitats are reducing the space available to wildlife.
For birds, this creates a growing challenge. Protected areas remain important, but they cannot always provide everything species need in a changing climate.
Finding safe places to survive
Not all bird species respond to environmental change in the same way. Some are able to adapt or move to new areas, while others are much more vulnerable.
A bird may find a new area with suitable temperatures, but that does not necessarily mean it can survive there. If habitats are isolated from one another, birds may struggle to move between them. If wetlands dry out, soils lose nutrients or natural habitats disappear, a seemingly suitable location can quickly become unsuitable.
This is particularly important in agricultural landscapes, where intensive farming can reduce food sources and nesting areas. Wetlands and other aquatic habitats face additional pressure from changing rainfall patterns, rising temperatures and changes in water availability.
The result is a fragmented landscape where suitable habitats can become isolated islands. Even species that are able to move may eventually run out of safe places to go.
Why protected areas alone are not enough
For decades, nature conservation has focused on protecting specific areas by drawing boundaries around them. These protected areas remain essential, but climate change is making those boundaries less predictable.
As conditions change, species may move beyond protected areas and into landscapes where people live, farm and work. This means that protecting biodiversity cannot stop at the borders of nature reserves.
The challenge is to make the wider landscape more nature-friendly too.
Hedgerows, wetlands, forests and other natural features can provide valuable habitats and help connect isolated areas. Restoring these features can give wildlife more space to adapt and move as environmental conditions change.
But restoration requires investment. For landowners, businesses and financial institutions, the benefits of restoring nature can be difficult to translate into financial terms. This is where new approaches to nature-positive investment can play an important role.
Investing in nature’s future
The BIOFIN-EU project is exploring how finance can help protect and restore biodiversity while supporting the people and businesses that manage Europe's landscapes.
One of its approaches is to develop tools that can help investors and financial institutions assess the risks and potential benefits of investing in nature restoration. By improving access to information about biodiversity and restoration projects, such tools can help direct funding towards actions that support healthier ecosystems.
The goal is not simply to protect nature in isolated areas. It is to create landscapes where biodiversity can survive and adapt, even as climate and land use continue to change.
Europe's birds are already showing us that nature does not stand still. As their habitats shift, conservation must evolve with them. Protecting biodiversity in the future will require not only safeguarding the places that remain, but also investing in the restoration and connectivity of the landscapes that surround them.
