Extract only - complete publication at www.jncc.gov.uk/worldwaterbirds
Waterbirds around
the world
A global overview of the conservation,
management and research of the
world's waterbird flyways
Edited by G.C. Boere, C.A. Galbraith and D.A. Stroud
Assisted by L.K. Bridge, I. Colquhoun, D.A. Scott,
D.B.A. Thompson and L.G. Underhill
EDINBURGH, UK: THE STATIONERY OFFICE
Extract only - complete publication at www.jncc.gov.uk/worldwaterbirds
© Scottish Natural Heritage 2006
First published in 2006 by The Stationery Office Limited
71 Lothian Road, Edinburgh EH3 9AZ, UK.
Applications for reproduction should be made to Scottish Natural Heritage,
Great Glen House, Leachkin Road, Inverness IV3 8NW, UK.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 0 11 497333 4
Recommended citation:
Boere, G.C., Galbraith, C.A. & Stroud, D.A. (eds). 2006.
Waterbirds around the world. The Stationery Office, Edinburgh, UK. 960 pp.
Names used for geographical entities do not imply recognition, by the organisers of the Waterbirds around the world conference or other
supporting organisations or governments, of the political status or boundaries of any particular territory. Names of territories used (and
any alternatives) are included solely to help users of this publication apply information contained within this volume for waterbird
conservation purposes. The views expressed in papers included within this volume do not necessarily represent views of the editors
or the organisations and governments that supported the conference and this publication.
Cover photography:
Whooper Swans Cygnus cygnus arriving at Martin Mere, England. Photo: Paul Marshall.
(www.paulmarshallphotography.com)
Copyright of all photographs used in this publication resides with the named photographers.
Waterbirds around the world
Conserving migrating shorebirds in the Yellow Sea region
C. Kelin & X. Qiang
Wetlands International, Room 501, Grand Forest Hotel, No. 3A, Bei Sanhuan Zhonglu Road, Beijing 100029, China.
(email: [email protected] or [email protected])
Kelin, C. & Qiang, X. 2006. Conserving migrating shorebirds in the Yellow Sea region. Waterbirds around the world. Eds. G.C. Boere,
C.A. Galbraith & D.A. Stroud. The Stationery Office, Edinburgh, UK. p. 319.
Yellow Sea: Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea, Bar-tailed
Godwit Limosa lapponica, Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata,
Great Knot Calidris tenuirostris and Kentish Plover Charadrius
alexandrinus. Approximately 80% of the estimated population
of Eastern Curlew Numenius madagascariensis and 40% of
Asian Dowitcher Limnodromus semipalmatus were represented
in the Yellow Sea during northward migration.
Seven species occur in internationally important concentrations in the southern part of the Yellow Sea during the nonbreeding season, i.e. the Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata,
Spotted Redshank Tringa erythropus, Common Greenshank
Tringa nebularia, Sanderling Calidris alba, Eurasian
Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus, Pied Avocet
Recurvirostra avosetta and Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus. The Oriental Pratincole Glareola maldivarum breeds in
the Yellow Sea in internationally important numbers.
Based on the analysis of the survey results, it is clear that
shorebird use of the Yellow Sea Region is very varied. Some
species occur at high densities within limited wetland sites,
while some species are distributed in many sites but at lower
density.
Approximately 600 million people from China, South Korea
and North Korea live in the Yellow Sea Region. The rapid
growth of the population and economy of China and South
Korea has resulted in degradation and a serious loss of wetland
habitat along the Yellow Sea and regionally due to environmental pollution, reduced river flows and human disturbance.
Successful shorebird conservation will depend on positive
national policies and plans and wise and sustainable development and use of inter-tidal mudflat and coastal resources.
Coordination and cooperation between related agencies will be
important as a basis for the successful realization of these
national policies and plans. In addition to traditional approaches,
further efforts should be made to facilitate regional environment
improvement and shorebird conservation. These may include:
The Yellow Sea Region lies between North and South Korea
to the east and China to the west, and covers an area of
458 000 sq km. Biodiversity in the inter-tidal zone of the Yellow
Sea Region is high: excellent feeding and roosting areas accommodate many different species of waterbirds, and preliminary
records indicate that the coastal zone of the Yellow Sea ecoregion supports about 200 breeding, staging and wintering
waterbird and seabird species.
The Yellow Sea eco-region is a very important component of
the East Asian-Australasian Flyway. It serves as an essential
staging site for shorebird migration between the south and north:
its position is crucial for shorebird migration as it acts as an
energy station due to its large coastal inter-tidal flats. Shorebirds
breeding in the Russian Far East, northeast China and northern
China can either migrate along the coastline and winter in the
middle and lower Chang Jiang and South China, or continue to
fly southward to winter in Southeast Asia, Australia or New
Zealand. The northern coast of the Yellow Sea is probably the
final staging site for many shorebird species flying to their
breeding sites.
In order to assess the shorebird resources in the Yellow Sea
and to accurately understand the utilization of the region by
shorebirds during their northward and southward migration,
Wetlands International-China has for the past nine years organized experts to conduct regular field surveys along the most of
the coasts of the Yellow Sea.
A total of 54 shorebird species have so far been found in the
Yellow Sea during southward or northward migration, of which
34 species occurred in internationally important numbers (more
than 1% of its estimated biogeographic population) at one or
more sites. This number represents 60% of the migratory shorebird species in the East Asian – Australasian Flyway. It is estimated that at least 2 million shorebirds, approximately 40% of
all migratory shorebirds population in the Flyway, use the
Yellow Sea Region during northward migration. Large numbers
of shorebirds, perhaps exceeding 1 million, also pass through
this region during southward migration. A total of 14 sites have
been identified in the Yellow Sea-China coast where at least one
shorebird species has been recorded in internationally important
numbers.
The majority of one globally threatened species, the Spotted
Greenshank Tringa guttifer, uses the Yellow Sea for both northward and southward migrations, and nine sites have been identified as internationally important for this species. Almost the
entire migratory population of five shorebird species uses the
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regular surveys, assessment and monitoring of wetland and
shorebirds in the Yellow Sea;
initiation of a long-term general and overall protection plan
for the Yellow Sea Eco-region;
define a set of key fields and priorities for conservation in
the Yellow Sea Region;
increase public awareness activities; and
establish a wetland and shorebird conservation network for
the Yellow Sea eco-region.