Wetlands International is pleased to release the latest results of the Asian Waterbird Census (AWC) at the World Migratory Waterbird Day. The new publication entitled "Numbers and distribution of waterbirds and wetlands in the Asia-Pacific region", results of the Asian Waterbird Census 2002–2004 provides the count results from 2,032 sites in 22 countries.
Altogether, a total of 274 species of waterbirds and 61 other wetland-dependent species were recorded and approximately 8 million waterbirds counted each year. Amongst these sites, a total of 459 met the criteria for international importance by either recording more than 20,000 waterbirds or 1% or more of the population of at least one species. Totals of 79 Ramsar Sites (designated under the Convention on Wetlands), 36 Migratory Waterbird Network Sites in the East Asian–Australasian Flyway and 280 Important Bird Areas identified by BirdLife International were covered. One hundred fifty nine species covered by the census are listed in the Appendices of the Convention on Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals.
The data collected by the AWC was the main source of information in the Asia-Pacific region for overall assessment of waterbird numbers and trends through the Waterbird Population Estimates – Fourth Edition (Wetlands International 2006). This showed that waterbirds in Asia are under more pressure from human development than on any other continent. Altogether, 62% of waterbird populations with known trends are now decreasing or have become extinct in Asia, and only 10% are increasing. The AWC information also identified partial or complete reclamation as the biggest threat to wetlands and their use by waterbirds across the Asian region.
Waterbirds and their wetland habitats in the Asian region are clearly in need of urgent protection, through both on-the-ground conservation activities and policy-based protection measures. We urge governments in the Asia-Pacific region to take urgent actions to protect their wetlands by implementation of the Wise Use Concept for wetland management as promoted by the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.
In relation to the topic of "Migratory birds in a changing climate", the theme for this years' celebration of the World Migratory Bird Day, waterbirds are seen as one of the indicators to conduct the risk assessments of climate change impacts on the environment through understanding the changes of climate in relation to loss of habitat for feeding, resting and breeding during the entire annual cycle of waterbirds. These impacts are being seen through sea level rise and loss of inter-tidal habitats and changes in water levels of freshwater lakes and other ecosystems that are critically important for birds. Where one of the main impacts of climate change is the increase of severity and intensity of droughts, wetlands in arid and semi arid regions are under great threat, especially as many waterbirds are dependent on wetlands in these regions during their annual migration and during nesting. Many waterbird species migrate south in enormous numbers from Arctic breeding grounds, where global warming is forecast to have potentially catastrophic impacts on vast tracts of tundra habitats of vital importance to these birds. Immediate actions by every country are needed to provide the international and global actions in addressing these threats.
The International Waterbird Census (including the AWC) coordinated by Wetlands International conducted each year in January collects long term data on waterbird distribution and abundance on a large number of coastal and inland wetlands worldwide. Since its initiation, the AWC has covered more than 6,100 sites from 26 countries, with the active participation of thousands of volunteers. The data is useful to identify internationally important sites for wetland biodiversity and when linked to predictive modelling on climate change assessments on wetlands habitats, can help to highlight particularly vulnerable biodiversity hotspots and species at risk.
The report can be downloaded from http://www.wetlands.org and will soon be on sale at http://www.nhbs.com.
For more information on the Asian Waterbird Census:
David Li
AWC International Coordinator
Wetlands International
email: david@wetlands.org.my