Millions of people have a yard right now, today. Telling them to not do a little something for birds right now, and instead they should feel bad unless they uproot their life this instant to become one micron in what would be at best a generational reurbanization project is the kind of thing that gets people to just tune this stuff out.
The rational choice of an individual, if the “real answer” is disruptive to their life and will take massive state incentives and/or coercion, is to wait for the carrot & stick to actually be produced. So why not put some, idk, whatever is bird friendly in the yard in the meantime?
We don’t need complete wilding or any bad feels, just learn to appreciate the beauty of a wilder native section of a property.
No, I am not an expert but this seems to be the easiest thing to do.
But when I was a kid I never saw hawks, now I can usually spot 5 or 6 when I’m out during the day.
Makes me wonder what the baseline count should be.
https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Once_And_Future_Wor...
> Researchers report that an insect's ability to find food and a mate is reduced when their antennae are contaminated by particulate matter from industry, transport, bushfires, and other sources of air pollution.
So catalytic converters, catalytic combustors, AGR Acidic Gas Reduction, Net Zero homes and vehicles etc. may be pretty impactful.
(In addition to planting and allowing clover and dandelions for the bees; and leaving longer grass for fireflies and ticks and CO2 capture and grasshoppers)
An herbicide that doesn't kill clover would make for prettier lawns; but the non-grass plants in the lawn are the food of the insects, which are the food of the birds.
Probably the only easy life change individuals can do is not eat meat and not buy ethanol. That would return tons of land to natural uses.