The JournalStilt for the East Asian-Australasian Flyway AWSG Number 67 • April 2015 Australasian Wader Studies Group Conservation Officer: Dan Weller, Suite 2-05, 60 Leicester Street, Carlton, Vic, 3053, AUSTRALIA. Ph: (03) 9347 0757. Email: [email protected] Flyway Partnership Officer: Doug Watkins, 99 MacKellar Cr, Cook, 2614, ACT, AUSTRALIA. Email: [email protected] STATE CONSERVATION OFFICERS Stilt QUEENSLAND Sandra Harding, 336 Prout Road, Burbank QLD 4156 ISSN 0726-1888 Email: [email protected] © AWSG NEW SOUTH WALES Joan Dawes, Ph: 02 9664 2546. MISSION STATEMENT Email: [email protected] To ensure the future of waders and their habitats in TASMANIA Australia through research and conservation programmes Eric Woehler (South Tas), 37 Parliament St, Sandy Bay Tas and to encourage and assist similar programmes in 7005. Ph: (03) 6223 1980. Email: [email protected] the rest of the East Asian–Australasian Flyway. Ralph Cooper (North Tas), 7 Beach Rd, Legana Tas 7277. OBJECTIVES Ph: (03) 6330 1255. Email: [email protected] . Monitor wader populations through a programme SOUTH AUSTRALIA of counting and banding in order to collect data on Paul Wainwright, PO Box 255, Balhannah SA 5242 Ph: 0429 678 475. Email: [email protected] changes on a local, national and international basis. Study the migrations of waders through a programme VICTORIA of counting, banding, colour flagging, collection of Doris Graham, 14 Falconer St, Fitzroy Vic 3068. biometric data and use of appropriate scientific Ph (03): 9482 2112. Email: [email protected] instruments. WESTERN AUSTRALIA . Instigate and encourage other scientific studies of Bill Rutherford (South WA – cutoff Onslow), 199 Daglish waders such as feeding and breeding studies. St,Wembly, Perth 6014. Email: [email protected] . Communicate the results of these studies to a wide Chris Hassell (North WA – cutoff Onslow), Global Flyway audience through its journal Stilt and membership Network PO Box 3089, Broome, WA 6725. newsletter the Tattler, other journals, the internet, Ph: (08) 9192 8585 or 0408 954 655. the media, conferences and lectures. Email: [email protected] . Formulate and promote policies for the conservation of waders and their habitat, and to make available INTERNATIONAL REPRESENTATIVES information to local and national governmental NEW ZEALAND conservation bodies and other organisations to North Island: Adrian Riegen, 213 Forest Hill Rd, encourage and assist them in pursuing this objective. Waiatarua, Auckland 0612, New Zealand. Actively participate in flyway wide and international Ph: (09) 814 9741. Email: [email protected] forums to promote sound conservation policies for South Island: Rob Schuckard, 4351 Croisilles waders. French Pass Rd RD3, French Pass 7139, New Zealand. Encourage and promote the involvement of a large Ph: 35765371. Email: [email protected] band of amateurs, as well as professionals, to achieve these objectives. OTHER COMMITTEE MEMBERS Maureen Christie, Chris Hassell, Roz Jessop, Penny Johns, OFFICE BEARERS Greg Kerr, Marcel Klaassen, Amanda Lilleyman, Chair: Alison Russell-French, PO Box 1045 Canberra Clive Minton, Kim Onton, Adrian Riegen, Roger Standen, ACT 2601, AUSTRALIA. Email: [email protected] Doug Watkins, Dan Weller, Ken Gosbell. Vice Chair: Phil Straw, P.O. Box 2006, Rockdale MEMBERSHIP OF THE AUSTRALASIAN WADER Delivery Centre NSW 2216, AUSTRALIA. Phone and STUDIES GROUP fax: (02) 9597 7765. Email: [email protected] Membership of the AWSG is open to anyone interested Chair of Scientific Committee: Danny Rogers in the conservation and research of waders (shorebirds) 68, Ryans Rd, Eltham, Vic 3095, AUSTRALIA. in the East Asian–Australasian Flyway. Members receive Ph: (03) 8418 0002. Email: [email protected] the twice yearly bulletin Stilt, and the quarterly newsletter Editor: Birgita Hansen, Federation University Australia, Tattler. Please direct all membership enquiries to the PO Box 663, Ballarat, Vic 3353, AUSTRALIA. Membership Manager at BirdLife Australia, Suite 2-05, Ph: (03) 5327 99 52. Email: [email protected] 60 Leicester St, Carlton Vic 3053, AUSTRALIA. Secretary: Birgita Hansen, Federation University Ph: 1300 730 075, fax: (03) 9347 9323. Australia, PO Box 663, Ballarat, Vic 3353. Email: [email protected] Ph: (03) 5327 99 52. Email: [email protected] Annual Subscriptions: Australia & New Zealand A$40.00 Treasurer: Arthur Keates, 5 Stanmere Street, Carindale Overseas A$45.00 Institutions A$50.00 QLD 4152, AUSTRALIA. Email: [email protected] Published in September 2015 Stilt 67 (2015): 1-3 EDITORIAL overview of the importance of the Myanmar coast for waterbird populations (Zöckler et al. 2014) indicates the Welcome to another issue of Stilt. There has been much huge numbers of shorebirds and waterbirds, including research and monitoring activity in the last 6-12 months, internationally significant numbers of threatened species, both from Stilt contributors and in the broader research in this part of the flyway. Crossland et al. (2014) provide community. Several recent publications highlight again a sobering account of land use change impacts on plovers the critical importance of the Yellow Sea as both staging in Java, Indonesia, highlighting that habitat loss issues and resident habitat for migrating waders and other are not just impacting waders in the Yellow Sea. There is waterbirds. Nick Murray’s PhD research findings have a fascinating contribution from Herring and Silcocks unequivocally demonstrated that massive losses of (2014) about the use of rice paddies by Australian intertidal habitat have occurred in the Yellow Sea and the Painted Snipe. There are some changes to the published impact of these losses on waders is significant (Murray et version of the latter manuscript, which are outlined al. 2014, Murray & Fuller 2015, Murray et al. 2015). The below. practice of sea wall enclosing of mudflats or ‘reclamation’ has received pointed commentary and This issue of Stilt contains a very timely piece from discussion from within Yellow Sea countries (Koh & de Clive Minton about the annual value of VWSG volunteer Jonge 2014, Hua et al. 2015, Ma et al. 2015), effort, which highlights the massive in-kind contribution highlighting the extent and the drivers of the issues. And that volunteers make to research and monitoring of eight years of counts by the China Coastal Waterbird waders in this country. This is a contribution rarely Census Group highlight how 75 species of waterbirds acknowledged by government agencies and in some were found to meet the Ramasr 1% criterion on at least cases, appears to be just assumed, thus dooming wader one occasion along the Chinese coast (Bai et al. 2015). groups to struggle with little funding but the expectation At the same time, further evidence of population that they will hand over their data for free. Sadly, this is decreases has been reported from Australia (Hansen et al. probably true, allowing authorities and other 2015). The message to Australian, Chinese and Korean organisations to absolve themselves of their governments is clearer than ever – policy and on-ground responsibilities toward wader conservation, leaving actions to halt wader declines are critically urgent if we volunteers to continue paying for it themselves. It is are to prevent population extinctions. perhaps no wonder that entreating government to take urgent conservation action has been so difficult in recent There has also been significant action at the flyway- years. scale by the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership, WWF Hong Kong, AWSG and others to prioritise In addition to this valuation of volunteer effort, species (Conklin et al. 2014), and critical areas (Watkins several other interesting contributions appear in this 2015), for conservation and engagement activities. The issue. These include a report on wader use of rocky Council of Arctic Flora and Fauna has made specific platforms on the New South Wales coast, a short note mention of actions around Yellow Sea habitat protection detailing a new redshank record from the Pilbara, and an in its Arctic Migratory Bird Initiative Work Plan 2015-19 overview into movements of Banded Stilt from colonies (http://www.caff.is/arctic-migratory-birds-initiative- marked in Western Australia. These three manuscripts ambi), which is an important part of invoking add to our body of knowledge about habitats and areas government responses. And the New Zealand used by waders that are relatively under-studied government has been extremely proactive in working compared to the estuaries and sandy coasts, where much with Chinese officials to raise the profile of, and try to of the wader monitoring activity in Australia is focused. increase protection for Yalu Jiang National Nature There are also several reports from Indonesia, adding to Reserve. These high-level successes have been driven by another rapidly expanding body of knowledge, this time the tireless efforts of the team at Pukorokoro Miranda about one of the major intervening regions for waders on Naturalists Trust. Although there is recognition that these migration between southerly latitudes and the Arctic. actions are still not enough to halt wader declines, they are critical steps in the right direction toward the ultimate Finally, I would like to say farewell to Yaara Rotman, goal of trying to salvage some species and habitats in the who has been assisting me with editing for the last two Yellow Sea. More information can be found in the years. She has successfully completed her PhD and Chair’s report on following pages. returned overseas. She will be missed in Australia and I will miss her good natured and patient editorial In addition to the stories and evidence mounting from assistance. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Yellow Sea, there is also the evidence of what wader Yaara for her contribution to Australian wader studies. populations are doing elsewhere, which is important for informing local actions and priorities. To this end, there has been an excellent variety of papers received from Birgita Hansen Stilt contributors recently.