Migratory Shorebird Conservation Plan Bena Smith Conservation Manager, Regional Wetlands June 2013 Solutions for a living planet Photo: © Bena Smith ©RoggoWWF-Canon Michel / 1 WWF Hong Kong Migratory Shorebird Conservation Shorebird Research Wetland Management (colour marking, satellite Training tracking, high-tide roost (Chinese coastal studies) wetlands) Migratory Shorebird Conservation Plan Asian Waterbird Wetland Demonstration Conservation Fund Sites (Shorebird funding (Important shorebird sites category) in YSR x 2) Solutions for a living planet Migratory Shorebird Conservation Plan Objective Objective A Conservation Plan is: 1.guiding WWF Hong Kong’s work in the EAA Flyway; and 2.influencing governments, conservationists, ENGOs and researchers across the EAA Flyway, to implement priority actions that conserve migratory shorebird populations most at risk of extinction within the flyway. © Neil Fifer © Rubin Chau Solutions for a living planet Migratory Shorebird Conservation Plan Information Phase 1 Prioritization of migratory shorebird species (1 st draft in circulation) Phase 2 Conservation Plan (by Jan 2014) Advisory Group David Melville, David Lawrie, Doug Watkins, Evgeney Syroyechkovsky, Ken Gosbell, Nils Warnock, Richard Fuller, Simba Chan, Nial Moores, Lew Young Consultants Phase 1 – Warren lee Long; Yvonne Verkuil & Jesse Conklin Phase 2 - ? Solutions for a living planet Migratory Shorebird Conservation Plan Prioritization process - 52 species, 63 populations considered in the process Global Scale - The global populations of 16 species are confined to the EAAF. - 7 species appear on the IUCN global Red List; 5 of these are endemic to the EAA Flyway. - Global populations of 29 species are considered to be declining, 11 are stable, 10 are unknown, and only 2 are thought to be increasing. Flyway Scale - 32 of 63 populations (51%) are endemic to the EAA Flyway. - Of 25 populations with known trends, 24 are declining and only 1 is increasing (Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus ). - 27 populations primarily use coastal habitats outside the breeding season (13 are considered coastal obligates), whereas 36 use primarily non-coastal habitats. - In 13 populations, more than 50% of individuals are thought to depend upon coastal habitats in the Yellow Sea region. Solutions for a living planet Migratory Shorebird Conservation Plan Prioritization process Data Limitations -Many population estimates are not current. -Many population estimates are extremely imprecise, and are based on opinion rather than census data. -Insufficient data to confidently establish population trend in most cases (60%). -Some recognized declines are based on expected impacts on critical habitats rather than observed decreases in abundance. Species Selection -Method 1 : IUCN Red List criteria. -Method 2 : Numerically weighted priority scores (degree of decline, degree of endemism, population size). Solutions for a living planet Migratory Shorebird Conservation Plan Prioritization process Numerical Population Global Red Regional Red Common Name Species Subspecies Weighting Endemic to EAAF List Status List Status Ranking Spoon-billed Sandpiper Eurynorhynchus pygmeus V CR CR 1 Lesser Sandplover Charadrius mongolus stegmanni V C EN 2 Lesser Sandplover Charadrius mongolus mongolus V C EN 3 Spotted Greenshank Tringa guttifer V EN EN 4 Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea C EN 17T Red Knot Calidris canutus rogersi V C VU 5T Red Knot Calidris canutus piersmai V C VU 5T Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica menzbieri (anadyrensis) V C VU 8T Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica baueri V C VU 8T Great Knot Calidris tenuirostris V VU VU 8T Greater Sandplover Charadrius leschenaultii leschenaultii C VU 11 Grey Plover Pluvialis squatarola squatarola C VU Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres interpres C VU 17T Dunlin Calidris alpina actites V LC VU Far Eastern Curlew Numenius madagascariensis V VU NT 5T Grey-tailed Tattler Heteroscelus (Tringa) brevipes V C NT 12T Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus variegatus V LC NT 12T Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa melanuroides V NT NT 14 Asian Dowitcher Limnodromus semipalmatus V NT NT 16 Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata orientalis NT NT Grey-headed Lapwing Vanellus cinereus V LC LC 17T Latham's Snipe Gallinago hardwickii V LC LC 17T Long-billed Plover Charadrius placidus V LC LC 15 Solutions for a living planet Migratory Shorebird Conservation Plan Prioritization process Site No. of priority species supported in Country Site Name Code internationally important numbers 119 Australia Roebuck Bay 12 276 China Deep Bay 10 905 South Korea Dongjin River Estuary 10 914 South Korea Geum River Estuary 10 1012 Thailand Inner Gulf of Thailand 10 949 South Korea Mangyung River Estuary 10 372 China North Bo Hai Wan 10 460 China Yancheng Nature Reserve 10 476 Indonesia Banyuasin Delta 9 40 Australia Eighty Mile Beach 9 957 South Korea Namyang Bay 9 408 China Shi Jiu Tuo/Daqing He 9 996 South Korea Yeongjong Island 9 886 South Korea Asan Bay 8 827 Russia Daursky Nature Reserve 8 324 China Huang He Delta Nature Reserve 8 124 Australia SE Gulf of Carpentaria 8 908 South Korea Ganghwa Island 7 719 Myanmar Gulf of Martaban 7 680 Malaysia Kapar Power Station 7 459 China Yalu Jiang National Nature Reserve 7 473 Indonesia Bagan Percut 6 255 China Chongming Dongtan National Nature Reserve 6 934 South Korea Han River Estuary 6 844 Russia Lososei Bay 6 848 Russia Moroshechnaya River Estuary 6 951 South Korea Nakdong Estuary 6 410 China Shuangtaizihekou NNR 6 53 Australia Hunter Estuary 5 94 Australia Moreton Bay 5 127 Australia Shoalwater Bay and Broad Sound 5 980 South Korea Songdo Tidal Flat 5 Solutions for a living planet Migratory Shorebird Conservation Plan Prioritization process Country Species AUS BAN CAM CHI IND JAP MAL MYN NZE NKO PNG PHI RUS SKO THA USA VIE TOTAL* Asian Dowitcher 1 6 7 1 1 1 17 Bar-tailed Godwit ( baueri ) 6 (13) (1) (1) 11 (1) (14) 4 21 (30) Bar-tailed Godwit ( menzbieri ) 2(2) (13) (1) (1) (1) (14) 2(32) Black-tailed Godwit ( melanuroides ) 14 9 5 1 1 8 14 1 2 55 Curlew Sandpiper 25 8 2 2 1 1 1 1 41 Dunlin ( actites ) (25) (9) (9) 0(43) Eurasian Curlew 20 4 1 1 1 9 1 1 38 Far Eastern Curlew 19 12 3 3 2 1 2 2 10 54 Great Knot 10 12 5 10 1 38 Greater Sand Plover 6 3 2 5 2 1 2 1 1 23 Grey Plover 6 14 3 1 1 10 35 Grey-headed Lapwing 3 4 3 1 1 12 Grey-tailed Tattler 16 2 34 2 2 4 1 61 Latham’s Snipe 1 1 Lesser Sand Plover ( mongolus ) (6) (8) (2) (2) (4) (15) 0(37) Lesser Sand Plover ( stegmanni ) (6) (8) (2) 5 (2) (4) (15) 5(37) Long-billed Plover 1 1 Red Knot ( piersmai ) 3 1 (1) (3) (3) 1 5(7) Red Knot ( rogersi ) 2(3) 1(8) 8 (3) (3) 8(17) Ruddy Turnstone 16 5(8) 1 29 8 4 5 2 1 66 Spoon-billed Sandpiper 17 7 3 2 2 3 5 3 4 46 Spotted Greenshank 7 1 8 3 6 3 4 12 9 3 56 Whimbrel 7 10 3 26 4 2 7 13 1 73 Solutions for a living planet Migratory Shorebird Conservation Plan Prioritization process No. of priority Additional no. of priority No. of species/subspecies subspecies potentially supported Country important supported in internationally in internationally important sites important numbers numbers* Australia 65 15 2 Bangladesh 23 3 Cambodia 1 1 China 44 16 5 Indonesia 15 9 5 Japan 63 8 2 Malaysia 11 10 Myanmar 5 7 New Zealand 14 3 North Korea 1 1 Papua New Guinea 2 2 Philippines 3 3 2 Russia 16 12 7 South Korea 24 10 7 Thailand 10 11 USA 5 2 Vietnam 8 8 * based on an interpretation of "unknown population" counts in that country using known ecology and migration routes for the subspecies Solutions for a living planet Migratory Shorebird Conservation Plan Prioritization process Spotted Greenshank Tringa guttifer Species accounts for each priority population - Taxonomy - Population - Distribution - Ecology (Life history, Habitat, Diet) - Major Threats - Knowledge Gaps - Distribution maps - Table of internationally important counts - Priority / critical areas (to be completed) Solutions for a living planet Migratory Shorebird Conservation Plan Prioritization process Invite comment from the SWG -Prioritization process -Final list of priority species/subspecies Asks from the SWG -Data set; > High counts for priority species > Any additional 1% or 0.25% counts for priority species? -Species accounts; > Distributions of subspecies > Improve information [email protected] - Conservation Plan Solutions for a living planet.