• Shorebird Working Group: Moving Forward for Successful Conservation

    The EAAFP’s Shorebird Working Group (SWG) was established to promote, facilitate, and coordinate shorebird conservation, management, education and research activities within the EAAF and to improve communication between shorebird specialists and managers in the flyway. On 27th April, 2023, the SWG conducted its first Core Team meeting (virtually). This meeting was the first get-together for the acting Core Team since the SWG met at the 11th Meeting of the Partners (MOP) of the EAAF in Brisbane, Australia, on 12 March 2023. David Li, the newly elected Chair of the SWG, first introduced the current acting Core Team members, including 5 representatives of EAAFP partners, 1 representative from the EAAFP Secretariat and 4 invited members. The seven acting Core Team members who participated in the inaugural online meeting are shown in the photo below, including (left to right, top to bottom) Mark Carey, Ginny Chan, David Li, Katherine Leung, Yifei Jia and Chen Qing for Yin Yu Zhu. Not shown in the photo is Chris Hassell. Several members could not attend, including Rick Lanctot, Phil Straw and Micha Jackson. Core Team of EAAFP Shorebird Working Group (left to right, top to bottom: Mark Carey, Ginny Chan, David Li, Katherine Leung, Yifei Jia and Chen Qing) The 2.5-hour meeting included an introduction of the acting Core Team, a discussion of the Work Plan and roles of the Core Team members, proposed revision of the SWG Terms of Reference (TOR), and a decision to hold an all-members meeting on 31 August GMT 6-9 am. Prior to the meeting, the acting Core Team members completed a questionnaire about the proposed Work Plan for the EAAF Partnership’s Shorebird Working Group, 2023-2025. The questionnaire provided their preliminary opinion on priority actions and the role of the SWG, the importance and urgency of each listed item, and what items the Core Team members were interested in and willing to lead. Based on the results of this questionnaire, in the coming 2 years, the Core Team decided to focus primarily on these 4 areas: To support the identification of important areas and promote monitoring of migratory shorebirds, To support conservation of shorebird species and their habitats, To support capacity building and promote science for shorebird conservation and management, and To enhance communication-related to shorebird conservation. The Shorebird Working Group’s TOR was also revised to reflect recent changes in the structure and function of the SWG as agreed at the SWG meeting at the 11th MOP of the EAAF. The acting Core Team agreed to hold an online meeting for all SWG members on 31 August 2023 to request full endorsement of the TOR, the members of the Core Team, and the Work Plan and roles proposed by the acting Core Team members. The Core Team meeting concluded with a fruitful discussion on the next steps before the next Core Team meeting planned for the end of June. It allowed participants to share knowledge and experiences, plan for future conservation efforts, and build an effective mechanism to support the group’s work. Learn more about EAAFP Shorebird Working Group: https://eaaflyway.net/shorebird-working-group/


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  • Establishment and Coordination of the EAAF Shorebird Migration Tracking Group

    EAAFP Small Grant Fund project by Ying Chi Chan University of Groningen Banding shorebirds as a means of understanding their movements has been conducted in the EAAF for several decades. Nowadays, an increasing number of people all along the flyway contribute to this effort by reporting sightings of previously tagged birds (e.g., Lagassé et al. 2020). These contributions have resulted in a greater understanding of the distribution and timing of shorebird migrations. Recently, researchers have employed various technologies, such as satellite transmitters, geolocators, and GSM-based trackers, to map out the migratory routes of these birds. This has helped us gain insights into individual migration patterns and has filled in gaps in knowledge in areas where there are fewer bird-banding conducted and sightings of banded birds (e.g. Chan et al. 2019). The scientific information generated by these studies has been crucial in recognizing the importance of the Yellow Sea, leading to the designation of important areas as a new World Heritage Site (e.g. Piersma et al. 2017). Although an increasing number of tracking studies have been conducted by various institutions/groups across the flyway, there is little coordination and lack of prioritization on species and populations to be tracked. Furthermore, the wide variety of techniques, their constant development, difficulties in analyzing data, and raising funds to purchase the tracking devices have created challenges for people hoping to begin using these techniques. Given the urgent need to conserve declining migratory shorebird populations across the EAAF, it is imperative to create a Shorebird Tracking Group that can provide a platform to share information and techniques, allow and promote collaborations across the nonbreeding range of a species and across multiple species using the same site, utilizing the full potential of tracking data in conservation of shorebirds in this flyway. The need for this group was apparent during enthusiastic discussions by participants of the 1st EAAF Shorebird Science Meeting held in November 2020. The group is open to anyone interested in studying or learning about shorebird migration. Here are the goals of the EAAF Shorebird Tracking Group (EAAF STG): establish group membership and tracking project directory to determine existing work occurring within the EAAF, coordinate/lead on-line meetings to facilitate exchange of ideas and techniques, promote collaborations between researchers, and between researchers and conservation organizations, and garner support to projects and initiatives that promote shorebird conservation in the EAAF using science-based tracking information.   Project Directory A project directory of past and current shorebird telemetry studies occurring within the EAAF was established. For each project, principal investigators are asked to list the species, tag deployment location, tracking device, years of study, organisation, contact person and email, and a link to their project website (optional). This allows an overview of what has and has not occurred to date, helping to identify knowledge gaps and prioritize future collaborative projects. Please view the current project directory here: trackeaaf.org/projects Webinar series Regular online meetings in the form of seminars on the topic on migration and movement ecology or tracking techniques were organized by the EAAF STG.  Screenshots of EAAF Shorebird Tracking Group Webinar Recordings of the most recent webinars are available on a youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/@trackeaaf From April 2021 to November 2022, there were 11 webinars organized, on average every 1-2 months. There were 21 speakers, and 3 of them gave a talk two times. Some webinars were organized with a theme, such as the Bar-tailed godwit (12 July 2021) and Nordmann’s Greenshank (1 September 2022). Researchers studying populations of shorebirds in flyways other than the EAAF were occasionally invited. The purpose was to exchange information and stimulate potential collaborations. For the list of past webinars, please check our website: trackeaaf.org/activities If you are interested to receive news related to tracking shorebirds e.g. webinars related to shorebirds and/or bird-tracking organized by other organisations, conferences, and conservation activities, please request to join the mailing list at the website’s contact form: trackeaaf.org/contact   References Battley, P. F., Warnock, N., Tibbitts, T. L., Gill Jr, R. E., Piersma, T., Hassell, C. J., ... & Riegen, A. C. (2012). Contrasting extreme long‐distance migration patterns in bar‐tailed godwits Limosa lapponica. Journal of Avian Biology, 43(1), 21-32. Chan, Y. C., Tibbitts, T. L., Lok, T., Hassell, C. J., Peng, H. B., Ma, Z., ... & Piersma, T. (2019). Filling knowledge gaps in a threatened shorebird flyway through satellite tracking. Journal of Applied Ecology, 56(10), 2305-2315. Lagassé, B. J., Lanctot, R. B., Barter, M., Brown, S., Chiang, C. Y., Choi, C. Y., ... & Wunder, M. B. (2020). Dunlin subspecies exhibit regional segregation and high site fidelity along the East Asian–Australasian Flyway. The Condor, 122(4), duaa054. Piersma, T., Chan, Y. C., Mu, T., Hassell, C. J., Melville, D. S., Peng, H. B., ... & Wilcove, D. S. (2017). Loss of habitat leads to loss of birds: reflections on the Jiangsu, China, coastal development plans. Wader Study, 124(2), 93-98.   Join the EAAF Shorebird Tracking Group: https://forms.gle/CHbntPrMCGypGiZK6 East Asian-Australasian Flyway Shorebird Tracking Projects Directory: https://eaafprojects.netlify.app/ To include your project to the directory: https://form.jotform.com/210225083733043 Learn about EAAFP Shorebird Working Group: https://eaaflyway.net/shorebird-working-group/   The project was funded through the 2021 EAAFP WG/TF Small Grant Fund. View the report, Click here.


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  • Mark Barter Travel Award and Australasian Shorebird Conference 2022

    Following the announcement of the Australasian Shorebird Conference (ASC) organized by Australasian Wader Study Group and Queensland Wader Study Group, to be held virtually on 29-30 October 2022 (link), please mark the date and stay tuned for further information about the program, registration arrangements, and call for abstracts will be forthcoming in the near future. In line with the ASC, the Mark Barter Travel Award nomination has been launched. Mark Barter Travel Award The AWSG Committee will again be offering an Award to honour the late Mark Barter. Shorebird workers and others will be aware of the tremendous contribution that Mark made to the understanding and conservation of shorebirds in the East Asian- Australasian Flyway over many years. In view of Mark’s substantial contributions through monitoring, training and education focused on the Yellow Sea region, this Award seeks to build on Mark’s work by encouraging the further experience and development of young people who have demonstrated an interest in this work. Scope of Award The recipient of this Award will be sponsored to participate in the 2022 Australasian Shorebird Conference (ASC) which will be held online 29th – 30th September. The Award will cover the cost of registration for the recipient. Selection Criteria As the Award is focused on the Yellow Sea region, applications are sought from interested people from China, the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Applicants should have a demonstrated interest in shorebirds and supporting their conservation through a scientific approach. The successful applicant is strongly encouraged to give an oral or poster presentation to the ASC. Applications Applications with supporting information should be forwarded to [email protected]   by 1 August 2022. At least two referees should be nominated in the application. Mark Barter. Photo courtesy:  Australasian Wader Study Group


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  • Envisioning Roadmap of the Gochang Tidal Flat World Heritage Site management

    To further develop the roadmap for advancing management of Gochang Tidal Flat after its designation as a World Heritage Site in Ro Korea, a 2-day technical workshop for…


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  • AFCoW Waterbirds Collaborative Takes Flight

    The Asian Flyways Collaborative for Waterbirds (AFCoW) was established…


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  • The First Asian Ornithological Conference convened

    The last two decades have seen a tremendous increase in the development of scientific studies and conservation of birds in Asia. The…


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  • Coastal high-tide shorebird habitat management guidelines

    In recent years there is increasing recognition of the critical importance of intertidal wetlands to conserving biodiversity, including shorebird populations. However, the necessity of roosting sites, especially during high…


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  • Launch of “Coastal High-tide Shorebird Habitat Management Guidelines”

    The EAAFP Secretariat, together with the Australasian Wader Studies Group are hosting a webinar “Launch Event: Coastal High-tide Shorebird Habitat Management Guidelines” on 17 September at 4pm…


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