Conservation Value:

The Critically Endangered spoon-billed sandpiper, which breeds in Russia and winters in Southeast Asia, is one of the world's most threatened shorebirds, with only 200 known breeding pairs. Conservation effforts underway, including this project, give hope for the species. Intertidal mudflats along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway support more than 50 million migratory birds each year, including 33 globally threatened species, hence efforts for this species provide broader benefits. At present, 80 percent of the known population of the spoon-billed sandpiper winters in Myanmar, Bangladesh, China, and Thailand. 

Threats:

Throughout its migratory range, invertebrate-rich tidal flats are being converted to industrial use and adult birds are being hunted for food. There are no known immediate threats on its breeding grounds, but sea level rise and other effects of climate change are likely to be an impact throughout its range.  Many other shorebird species occupying these same habitats face the same threats and will also benefit from this project.

Actions & Results:

Our project for the spoon-billed sandpiper (CR) continued in shorebird landscapes across four countries in Asia, with a total count of 43 spoon- billed sandpipers (along with 67,555 waterbirds of 65 species). These areas also supported 300 globally endangered Nordmann’s greenshanks (EN), 7,159 great knots, and other threatened shorebirds. In addition to site protection, along stretches of coast we have removed hundreds of illegal mist nets (which are used to trap birds) and carried out effective conservation outreach work in communities throughout the spoon-billed sandpiper winter range.

• guarding sites to protect birds from hunting
• developing livelihoods in farming and fishing as an alternative to hunting
• establishing no-hunting bylaws among Village Conservation Groups
• supporting local non-governmental organizations to increase awareness of hunting’s impact on this endangered bird.