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Avian Research 2015, 6(1): 12 https://doi.org/10.1186/s40657-015-0021-2
Research | Open Access | Issue | Published: 11 July 2015

Identification of coastal wetlands of international importance for waterbirds: a review of China Coastal Waterbird Surveys 2005-2013

Show Author's Information China Coastal Waterbird Census Group,  Qingquan Bai1( ),  Jianzhong Chen2,  Zhihong Chen3,  Guotai Dong3,  Jiangtian Dong4,  Wenxiao Dong5,  Wing Kan Vivian Fu6,  Yongxiang Han7,  Gang Lu8,  Jing Li9,  Yang Liu10,  Zhi Lin311,  Derong Meng12,  Jonathan Martinez13,  Guanghui Ni14,  Kai Shan15,  Renjie Sun16,  Suixing Tian4,  Fengqin Wang217,  Zhiwei Xu3,  Yat-tung Yu6,  Jin Yang14,  Zhidong Yang18,  Lin Zhang19,  Ming Zhang20,  Xiangwu Zeng21
Forestry Bureau of Dandong, Dandong 118000, China
Tianjin Birdwatching Society, Tianjin 300000, China
Xiamen Birdwatching Society, Xiamen 361003, China
Shenzhen Birdwatching Society, Management Office of Guangdong Neilingding-Futian National Nature Reserve, Shenzhen 518000, China
Shanghai Huaxia Wildlife Travel Limited, Shanghai 200062, China
The Hong Kong Bird Watching Society, Hong Kong, China
Xugou Primary School, Lianyun District, Lianyungang 222041, China
Kadoorie Conservation China, Kadoorie Farm & Botanic Garden Corporation, Hong Kong, China
Spoon-billed Sandpipers in China, Shanghai 200063, China
State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol and College of Ecology and Evolution, Guangzhou 510275, China
Xiamen Costal Wetlands and Birds Research Center, Xiamen 361003, China
Department of Life Science, Cangzhou Normal University, Cangzhou 061000, China
14, bis rue des Temples, 45240 La Ferté, Saint Aubin, France
Fujian Birdwatching Society, Fuzhou 350000, China
Management Office of Yellow River Delta National Nature Reserve, Dongying 257000, China
Guangxi Mangrove Research Center, Beihai 536000, China
Tianjin Natural History Museum, Tianjin 300201, China
Shanghai Wildbird Society, Shanghai 201400, China
No. 221-702, Lane 4333, Haima Road, Shanghai 201418, China
Panjin Birdwatching Society, Panjin Maternal and Child Care Service Centre, Panjin 124000, China
Haifeng Nature Reserve, Haifeng 516400, China
Keywords:
Citizen science, Waterbirds, 1 % criterion, Coastal wetlands, Ramsar site
Cite this article:
China Coastal Waterbird Census Group, Bai Q, Chen J, et al. Identification of coastal wetlands of international importance for waterbirds: a review of China Coastal Waterbird Surveys 2005-2013. Avian Research, 2015, 6(1): 12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40657-015-0021-2
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Abstract Full text About this article
Background

China's coastal wetlands belong to some of the most threatened ecosystems worldwide. The loss and degradation of these wetlands seriously threaten waterbirds that depend on wetlands.

Methods

The China Coastal Waterbird Census was organized by volunteer birdwatchers in China's coastal region. Waterbirds were surveyed synchronously once every month at 14 sites, as well as irregularly at a further 18 sites, between September 2005 and December 2013.

Results

A total of 75 species of waterbirds met the 1 % population level Ramsar listing criterion at least once at one site. The number of birds of the following species accounted for over 20 % of the total flyway populations at a single site: Mute Swan (Cygnus olor), Siberia Crane (Grus leucogeranus), Far Eastern Oystercatcher (Haematopus osculans), Bar-tailed Godwit (Limosa lapponica), Spotted Greenshank (Tringa guttifer), Great Knot (Calidris tenuirostris), Spoon-billed Sandpiper (Calidris pygmeus), Saunders's Gull (Larus saundersi), Relict Gull (Larus relictus), Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo), Eurasian Spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia), Black-faced Spoonbill (Platalea minor) and Dalmatian Pelican (Pelecanus crispus). A total of 26 sites supported at least one species of which their number met the 1 % criterion. Forty-two species met the 1 % criterion in the Yellow River Delta, Shandong; 29 at the Cangzhou coast, Hebei and 26 species at the Lianyungang coast, Jiangsu.

Conclusions

The results highlight the international importance of China's coastal wetlands for waterbirds. This study also demonstrates that participation of local birdwatchers in waterbird surveys results in data that are invaluable not only for understanding the current status of waterbirds in China's coastal regions but also for waterbird conservation and management.


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About this article

Identification of coastal wetlands of international importance for waterbirds: a review of China Coastal Waterbird Surveys 2005-2013

Show Author's information China Coastal Waterbird Census Group, Qingquan Bai1( ), Jianzhong Chen2, Zhihong Chen3, Guotai Dong3, Jiangtian Dong4, Wenxiao Dong5, Wing Kan Vivian Fu6, Yongxiang Han7, Gang Lu8, Jing Li9, Yang Liu10, Zhi Lin311, Derong Meng12, Jonathan Martinez13, Guanghui Ni14, Kai Shan15, Renjie Sun16, Suixing Tian4, Fengqin Wang217, Zhiwei Xu3, Yat-tung Yu6, Jin Yang14, Zhidong Yang18, Lin Zhang19, Ming Zhang20, Xiangwu Zeng21
Forestry Bureau of Dandong, Dandong 118000, China
Tianjin Birdwatching Society, Tianjin 300000, China
Xiamen Birdwatching Society, Xiamen 361003, China
Shenzhen Birdwatching Society, Management Office of Guangdong Neilingding-Futian National Nature Reserve, Shenzhen 518000, China
Shanghai Huaxia Wildlife Travel Limited, Shanghai 200062, China
The Hong Kong Bird Watching Society, Hong Kong, China
Xugou Primary School, Lianyun District, Lianyungang 222041, China
Kadoorie Conservation China, Kadoorie Farm & Botanic Garden Corporation, Hong Kong, China
Spoon-billed Sandpipers in China, Shanghai 200063, China
State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol and College of Ecology and Evolution, Guangzhou 510275, China
Xiamen Costal Wetlands and Birds Research Center, Xiamen 361003, China
Department of Life Science, Cangzhou Normal University, Cangzhou 061000, China
14, bis rue des Temples, 45240 La Ferté, Saint Aubin, France
Fujian Birdwatching Society, Fuzhou 350000, China
Management Office of Yellow River Delta National Nature Reserve, Dongying 257000, China
Guangxi Mangrove Research Center, Beihai 536000, China
Tianjin Natural History Museum, Tianjin 300201, China
Shanghai Wildbird Society, Shanghai 201400, China
No. 221-702, Lane 4333, Haima Road, Shanghai 201418, China
Panjin Birdwatching Society, Panjin Maternal and Child Care Service Centre, Panjin 124000, China
Haifeng Nature Reserve, Haifeng 516400, China

Abstract

Background

China's coastal wetlands belong to some of the most threatened ecosystems worldwide. The loss and degradation of these wetlands seriously threaten waterbirds that depend on wetlands.

Methods

The China Coastal Waterbird Census was organized by volunteer birdwatchers in China's coastal region. Waterbirds were surveyed synchronously once every month at 14 sites, as well as irregularly at a further 18 sites, between September 2005 and December 2013.

Results

A total of 75 species of waterbirds met the 1 % population level Ramsar listing criterion at least once at one site. The number of birds of the following species accounted for over 20 % of the total flyway populations at a single site: Mute Swan (Cygnus olor), Siberia Crane (Grus leucogeranus), Far Eastern Oystercatcher (Haematopus osculans), Bar-tailed Godwit (Limosa lapponica), Spotted Greenshank (Tringa guttifer), Great Knot (Calidris tenuirostris), Spoon-billed Sandpiper (Calidris pygmeus), Saunders's Gull (Larus saundersi), Relict Gull (Larus relictus), Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo), Eurasian Spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia), Black-faced Spoonbill (Platalea minor) and Dalmatian Pelican (Pelecanus crispus). A total of 26 sites supported at least one species of which their number met the 1 % criterion. Forty-two species met the 1 % criterion in the Yellow River Delta, Shandong; 29 at the Cangzhou coast, Hebei and 26 species at the Lianyungang coast, Jiangsu.

Conclusions

The results highlight the international importance of China's coastal wetlands for waterbirds. This study also demonstrates that participation of local birdwatchers in waterbird surveys results in data that are invaluable not only for understanding the current status of waterbirds in China's coastal regions but also for waterbird conservation and management.

Keywords: Citizen science, Waterbirds, 1 % criterion, Coastal wetlands, Ramsar site

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Publication history
Copyright
Acknowledgements
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Publication history

Received: 16 October 2014
Accepted: 25 May 2015
Published: 11 July 2015
Issue date: January 2015

Copyright

© 2015 Bai et al.

Acknowledgements

Acknowledgements

This paper was written with the help of Prof. Zhijun Ma and Kun Tan at Fudan University, and David Melville. We thank Paul Holt and Xiaodong Li for providing waterbird data from Zhuanghe in Liaoning Province and Wenzhou in Zhejiang Province. We greatly appreciate all the volunteers who have participated in the census.

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This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.

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