Birdsong is disappearing from our landscapes—but why? In the latest episode of What the Field, we sit down with Ariel Brunner, Regional Director of BirdLife International, to talk about why the dramatic decline in bird populations across Europe is not just a tragedy for nature lovers, but a warning sign for the future of our food systems.

Drawing from decades of experience in conservation, Ariel explains how industrial agriculture has devastated biodiversity—especially among farmland birds—and how rethinking the way we farm, consume, and organise politically could turn things around. From the disappearance of house martins in southern Spain to the global expansion of monocultures, we unpack how our current food production model is ecologically unsustainable.

But this isn’t just another story of environmental collapse. Ariel also shares tangible examples of hope: collaborative projects like “Olivares Vivos” that restore biodiversity in olive groves, and ways city dwellers can make space for birds even without a garden.

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