Concord Ledger

The state of New Hampshire is finding that there isn’t an easy pathway to finding solutions for its biodiversity crisis.

Kurk Dorsey, an environmental historian at the University of New Hampshire, said that while New Hampshire's situation isn’t as dire as some other states, the loss of biodiversity is significant.

"Here in New Hampshire, it's not as bad as it is in some places in the world, but we know that there is a clear loss of biodiversity in the state,” he told New Hampshire Public Radio (NHPR). “For instance, for decades there have been breeding bird surveys, and we know that we're finding fewer and fewer species on those surveys over the years. So there is clear evidence of that."

The chief threat for the state is the paving and renovation of farmland into commercial or residential developments.

“And then even some species that maybe wouldn't show up on breeding bird surveys, for instance, that eat insects out of the air, cliff swallows and chimney sweeps and things like that, have shown a steep decline,” Dorsey told NHPR. “So we are seeing it even with relatively common species around us in the state.”

Breeding bird surveys have shown for several decades that there are fewer and fewer birds in New Hampshire. Dorsey added that the biggest thing by far is habitat loss, and people would need to have an international strategy to try to address biodiversity and habitat protection.

“You know, there's not really been a reversal of habitat,” Dorsey said, according to NHPR. “People are moving out into the suburbs, or farms are being converted into subdivisions, for instance, or shopping malls, and that never goes back. That's the issue. We might save a farm. We might set aside something as conservation land, but it's very rare that we take a subdivision and plow it back up and turn it back into open space.”