嗜血的橄欖：每逢橄欖收穫季，數百萬隻小鳥被收割機絞死
Millions of songbirds vacuumed to death every year during Mediterranean olive harvest
每年在地中海橄欖收穫季節，數百萬隻鳴禽被吸進機器致死
來源：獨立報 翻譯：世界播
Millions of songbirds are vacuumed out of trees and killed each year during the nocturnal Mediterranean olive harvest, researchers have warned.
研究人員警告說，每年地中海地區在夜間收穫橄欖時，都會有數百萬隻鳴禽被從樹上吸進機器致死。
Vast numbers of legally protected birds from central and northern Europe seek refuge in the Mediterranean basin during winter months.
在冬季，大量來自中歐和北歐受法律保護的鳥類飛往地中海盆地過冬。
At night they roost in olive bushes, just as intensive harvesting machines start stripping trees of their fruit (the harvest runs from October to January).
晚上，它們在橄欖樹叢中棲息，這時密集的收割機開始剝去樹上的果實（收穫季從10月到1月）。
The light of the machines dazzle and disorientate the birds, who end up being sucked into them 「on a catastrophic scale」, researchers warn. There can be as many as 100 dead birds in each harvest trailer.
研究人員警告說，這些機器發出的光會讓鳥類暈眩，並迷失方向，最終這些鳥類有大量會被吸進去。每輛收割拖車裡可能有多達100隻死鳥。
In Andalusia in Spain, 2.6 million birds are killed by harvesting tractors every winter. Iconic British birds like robins, greenfinches, warblers and wagtails are among the highest causalities.
在西班牙安達盧西亞，每年冬天有260萬隻鳥死於收割機。知更鳥、綠雀、鶯和搖尾鳥等英國標誌性鳥類的死亡率最高。
「The machinery is perfectly fine if used during the day, as birds are able to see and escape while they are operating,」 lead researcher Vanessa Mata from the Portugal-based Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources told The Independent.
在接受《獨立報》採訪時，葡萄牙生物多樣性和遺傳資源研究中心的首席研究員瓦內薩·瑪塔表示：「如果在白天使用這種機器，那就完全沒問題，因為在機器工作時，鳥類能夠看到並逃跑。」
「However, during the night they use very strong lights which confuse the birds and lead to their death as they are 『sucked in』 by the tractor.」
「然而，在夜間，機器使用非常強烈的燈光，讓鳥類感到暈眩，導致被拖拉機『吸入』時死亡。」
Trees are stripped at night because cooler temperatures help preserve the olives』 aromatic flavours, according to the correspondence, which is published in Nature.
根據發表在《自然》雜誌上的研究來看，之所以選擇晚上從樹上收割果實，是因為較低的溫度有助於保存橄欖的芳香味道。
Ninety-six thousand birds die in Portugal every winter as a result of this intensive farming technique. France and Italy also carry out the practice but specific numbers are not known.
由於這種集約化的農業技術，葡萄牙每年冬天有九萬六千隻鳥死亡。法國和義大利也是如此操作，但鳥類具體死亡數字尚不清楚。
Martin Harper, the RSPB』s director of conservation said, 「Numbers of farmland birds in Europe have plummeted by 55 per cent over the last three decades and this is another shocking example of how modern agricultural practices are impacting our bird populations, including some UK species passing through the region.」
皇家鳥類保護協會的保護主任馬丁·哈珀說：「在過去的30年里，歐洲農田鳥類的數量下降了55%，這是現代農業活動如何影響我們鳥類種群（包括一些途經該地區的英國鳥類）的另一個令人震驚的例子。」
Andalusian officials have recommended the practice stops but unless legislation is passed in the next few months the 「massacre」 will start again in October, researchers warn.
安達盧西亞官員建議停止這種行為，但研究人員警告稱，除非在未來幾個月通過立法，否則這種「殘殺」將在10月再次開始。
France, Italy and Portugal are yet to take any action.
法國、義大利和葡萄牙尚未採取任何行動。
「Local governments and local, national and international communities urgently need to assess the impact of the practice and take steps to end it,」 said Dr Mata.
「地方政府、地方、國家和國際社會迫切需要評定這種做法的後果，並採取措施結束它。」 瑪塔博士說。
TAG:世界播 |