Alaska Shorebird Group

www.fws.gov/alaska/mbsp/mbm/shorebirds/working _group.htm

• Terms of Reference

• Members of the Executive Committee

• * send me contact info

• Presentations

o send me docs to upload

• Meeting minutes

o Lisa and I will work to post

• Shorebird Projects in Alaska

o 2002 to present

• Next meeting in December 2019

• Alaska Shorebird Group listserv

Contact Rick Lanctot at:

richard_lanctot@fws.gov

Components• Part 1: general information about

shorebird population size and trends, conservation issues, and conservation strategy for Alaska

• Part 2: BCR-specific outline of priority species, important shorebird areas, conservation objectives and issues and actions

• Species-specific information for 17 Greatest and High Conservation species, and 9 Stewardship species

• 8 Appendices, 11 figures and 10 tables

• Dedicated to David Tessler

• Being copy edited now• Will be available at:www.alaska.fws.gov/mbsp/mbm/shorebirds/plans.htm

Pacific Americas Shorebird Conservation Strategy

Identified major threats, laid out conservation strategies and actions, described monitoring efforts, described the conservation landscape, and identified risks to success

Dove tails with the Coastal Solutions Fellows Program – first 6 fellows selected for 2019

Finalizing report on international lending institutions and conventions research to support conservation of shorebirds and develop new funding opportunities towards implementation.

Building web site to facilitate communication and sharing resources.

Pacific Americas Shorebird Conservation Strategy

>$450,000 distributed to Latin American partners to implement the strategy

o Development of shorebird-friendly shrimp aquaculture (National Audubon Society)

o Beach Nesting Shorebirds Conservation in Northwestern Mexico (CICESE)

o Expanding shorebird habitat protection on Chiloe Island (CECPAN and National Audubon Society)

o Improving Management for shorebirds in and around Paracas National Reserve, Peru (CORBIDI)

o The Migratory Shorebird Project- Moving Data to action (Point Blue)

o Restoration and protection of critical shorebird habitat in Ecuador (Aves y Conservation)

o Ecosystem services and threats to shorebirds along the Pacific Coast of Columbia (CALIDRIS)

For more information, contact River Gates, rgates@audubon.org

• Partnership between researchers worldwide who are devoted to long term — usually demographic — work on long distance migrating shorebirds.

• Build on the strengths of comparative demographic shorebird studies worldwide, with the aim to understand and analyze the factors determining shorebird numbers in a rapidly changing world.

• Tries to fill major gaps in coverage of fieldwork of the world’s most threatened shorebird flyways.

• Initially focus on flagship species such as the Red Knot, Great Knot, Bar-tailed Godwit and Black-tailed Godwit.

* large satellite telemetry studies

* intensive studies focused on understanding how demographics are changing in response to environmental changes occurring along the flyway

Yellow Sea Developments

• Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) is now part of the EAAF Partnership

• Series of international workshops focused on loss of intertidal mudflats

• China Coastal Wetland Conservation Blueprint Project, with national policy changes:

• All reclamation projects suspended

• Zero loss of nature wetlands

• Wetland conservation and restoration order

• Leadership accountability for wetland loss

• Nomination of World Heritage Sites

• New ministry developed that will focus on wetland issues

• Focus funds on EAAF flyway: Center for EAAF studies, Beijing Forestry University $500K USD for 5 years that will work with EAAF Secretariat

• Collaborations with many NGOs and Academic Institutions

East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership

• Launched in 2006, although started in 1996 as the Asia-Pacific Migratory Waterbird Conservation Strategy

• Goal is to protect migratory waterbirds, their habitat and the livelihoods of people dependent upon them.

• Currently 37 partners from 18 countries, 6 intergovernmental agencies, 12 international NGO, and 1 international private enterprise.

• Secretariat located in Republic of Korea

• Flyway Site Network

• 900 sites recognized as important

• 141 designated sites

• 18 countries with sites

• USA has 2 sites: Yukon Delta NWR, Qupaluk in NPR-A

• Site assessments and management

• 7 Working Groups and 7 Task Forces, including Shorebird Working Group

• Website: www.eaaflyway.net

• Facebook: East Asian-Australasian Flyway Shorebird Conservation Network

• EAAF Shorebird Working Group listserv

East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership

• Held 10th Meetings of the Partners in Changjiang City,

Hainan Island, Peoples Republic of China, December 2019

• Adopted EAAFP Strategic Plan 2019 – 2029

• Formalized Small Grant program, $5,000 max

• Shorebird Working Group priorities:

• Support identification and monitoring of important sites

• Support conservation of shorebird species• Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Far Eastern Curlew task forces, Nordmann’s Greenshank

• Help with red-listing of new species

• Coordinate and promote collaboration of migration ecology studies along the EAAF

• Engage with the Illegal Hunting, Taking, and Trade of Migratory Waterbirds Task Force

• Develop a flyway shorebird conservation strategy

• Support capacity building for shorebird conservation and management• Organize training workshops to enhance efforts to monitor, band, track, and manage sites

• use existing field studies to expand experience of people throughout the flyway

• Learn, share experiences and develop best managing practices

• Enhance communication relating to shorebird conservation• EAAF Shorebird Science Meeting – maybe in Feb 2020

Western Hemisphere Shorebird Group

Launched in 2006

Goals are to

1. Raise the public’s awareness of shorebirds

2. Promote research, monitoring, management, conservation and education/outreach relevant to shorebirds in Western Hemisphere

3. To provide a structured forum to facilitate, coordinate, and enhance the exchange of shorebird information

4. Promote range-wide management and conservation of shorebirds in the Western Hemisphere

Executive Committee formed in 2017

Main effort is holding biennial scientific meetings that rotate between North, Central and South America

New website: westernshorebirdgroup.org

Facebook page: Western Hemisphere Shorebird Group

WHSG listserv, contact Rick Lanctot

• 4 days of talks, 1 field trip day• 4 plenary speakers, symposium and 3 concurrent sessions of 20 minute talks• Student oral and poster awards• Student mentorship program• Bilingual (Spanish, English)

• Alan Baker Lifetime Achievement Award for Shorebird Conservation• Lewis Oring Lifetime Achievement Award for Shorebird Research• Pablo Canevari Award - WHSRN

• Travel Awards to students throughout Western Hemisphere, Latin American professionals, and early career North American professionals

• Workshops – Atlantic Flyway, Banding, Mid-continental Flyway Planning session, species-specific groups, writing workshop

• Symposium abstracts due 15 March• Abstracts and award nominations due 1 May 2019

• Follow on Facebook: WHSG2019

Arctic Migratory Bird Initiative

Began in 2015, instrument of the Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna Working Group, which is part of the Arctic Council

Goal is to improve conservation status and secure the long-term sustainability of declining Arctic breeding migratory bird populations.

Approach is to use the power of the Arctic Council to engage non-Arctic countries to help shorebirds on nonbreeding grounds

Work plans for 4 flyways

• East Asian-Australasian Flyway

• African-Eurasian Flyway

• Americas Flyway

• Circumpolar Flyway

AMBI Americas Flyway

Committee representation: Canada, USA, Mexico, Brazil, and NGOs (WHSRN, WCS)

Focus species: REKN, SESA, BBSA, REPH, RNPH

Conservation issues: loss or degradation of habitats, climate change

• expansion of white geese to Alaska

• Plastic contamination

• Protect important sites

• Mid-continental Flyway strategy

AMBI East Asian-Australasian Flyway

Committee representation: Russia, USA, China, Singapore, Republic of Korea, Japan, India, BirdLifeInternationalFocus species: SBSA, GRKN, REKN, BARG, DUNL, CUSA, LWFG, EMGO, BRANConservation issues: • identify and secure key breeding,

staging, and wintering sites; • prevent illegal hunting and

regulate unsustainable legal harvest;

• engage with traditional and local knowledge

Arctic Birds Breeding Conditions Survey

Two data sets

• Site data and general information

• Detailed bird, lemming, predator data

Alaska Shorebird Group Priorities for 2019?

• Implementing conservation plan

o Conservation issues

o Conservation strategies

Research

Population inventory & monitoring

Habitat management & protection

Education & outreach

International collaboration

o Species conservation

o BCR implementation

• Boreal shorebirds

• Responding to recent development documents