Threats & Declines

POPULATIONS ARE DECLINING

In just 25 years some of these species have decreased by 50-80%, and in at least one species declines have been as rapid as 20% in just a few years. Up to 150,000 shorebirds went missing in one year alone as a result of destruction at just one of many tidal ecosystems being lost. The available evidence has led to the recent listing of Eastern Curlew and Great Knot as vulnerable on the IUCN red list, but more work is needed to monitor any further changes, and explore how widespread these declines might be.

Download this PowerPoint presentation on Threats & Declines in shorebirds. [PowerPoint: 780kb].

THE CONSERVATION CHALLENGE

Not surprisingly, given all the area a migratory shorebird relies on to survive each year, their conservation is not simple. It requires international cooperation to maintain the habitats from Siberia to Australia that they rely on to survive. However, here in Australia we are uniquely placed to use good science to inform with much greater confidence how shorebird populations may be changing. Without that knowledge there can be little hope of making the case for protection of shorebird habitats, or of discovering what is driving some of these declines, or most importantly what kinds of things can be done to ensure that the clouds of shorebirds sometimes seen at places in the Broome region of northwest Australia, are something our children might also see.

SHOREBIRDS 2020: A NATIONAL SHOREBIRD MONITORING PROGRAM

Our program is raising the awareness of how incredible shorebirds are, and actively engaging the community to participate in gathering the information needed to conserve shorebirds. In the short term the destruction of tidal ecosystems will need to be stopped, and our program is designed to strengthen the case for protecting these important habitats. In the longer term there will be a need to mitigate against the likely effects of climate change on a species that travels across the entire range of latitudes where impacts are likely. The identification and protection of critical areas for shorebirds will need to continue in order to guard against the potential threats associated with habitats in close proximity to nearly half the human population.

Here in Australia, the place where these birds grow up and spend most of their lives, continued monitoring will be required to inform on the best management required to maintain shorebird populations. We believe that we can help secure a brighter future for these remarkable birds by educating stakeholders, building good science that informs on how and why shorebird populations are changing, and working to grow the community of people who care about shorebirds.