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Liang D, Mu T, Yang Z, Giam X, Wang Y, Li J, Cai S, Zhang X, Wang Y, Liu Y, Wilcove DS. Assessing shorebird mortalities due to razor clam aquaculture at key migratory stopover sites in southeastern China. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2024; 38:e14185. [PMID: 37706237 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.14185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2022] [Revised: 09/03/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/15/2023]
Abstract
Aquaculture can provide foraging habitat for birds, but it can also result in intentional and accidental mortality. We examined an overlooked conflict between razor clam (Sinonovacula spp.) aquaculture and declining shorebirds in southeastern China's Fujian and Zhejiang provinces. We surveyed 6 out of 11 internationally important stopover sites for these shorebirds and monitored shorebird mortality in 2 sites (Xinghua Bay, Yueqing Bay) with razor clam aquaculture. We visited an additional 32 sites in these 2 provinces to determine if there was netting in other razor clam farms. Approximately 8-9 km2 of intertidal foraging habitat was covered by horizontal nets to prevent birds from feeding on young razor clams at Xinghua Bay and Yueqing Bay. We conservatively estimated that 13,676 (2.5th-97.5th percentile 8,330-21,285) individual shorebirds were entangled in the nets at the 2 monitored sites in April and May 2021, including 2 endangered and 7 near-threatened species. Mortality of 5 species for which we had sufficient data accounted for 0.76% (black-tailed godwit [Limosa limosa]) to 4.27% (terek sandpiper [Xenus cinereus]) of their total flyway populations. This level of mortality could strongly affect their populations. We found netting at 17 additional razor clam farms, indicating a widespread threat to shorebirds. Although razor clams are typically harvested in late March to early April, nets are left on the mudflats throughout the spring and summer, including when the bulk of shorebird migration takes place. Immediately removing these nets after the clam harvest could prevent most of the spring mortality of shorebirds, although this is unlikely to happen without government regulations or economic incentives. To better assess and mitigate the impacts of this conflict, future research should quantify shorebird mortality at other razor clam farms, including during winter, explore less harmful deterrence methods, and assess the socioeconomic factors driving the conflict.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Liang
- Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | - Tong Mu
- Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | - Ziyou Yang
- Spoon-billed Sandpiper (Shanghai) Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd, Shanghai, China
| | - Xingli Giam
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Yudi Wang
- Spoon-billed Sandpiper (Shanghai) Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd, Shanghai, China
| | - Jing Li
- Spoon-billed Sandpiper (Shanghai) Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd, Shanghai, China
| | - Shangxiao Cai
- Spoon-billed Sandpiper (Shanghai) Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd, Shanghai, China
| | - Xuelian Zhang
- Yunnan Wild Bird Association, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Yixiao Wang
- Fujian Birdwatching Society, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
| | - Yang Liu
- School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - David S Wilcove
- Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
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Ko JCJ, Chang AY, Lin RS, Lee PF. Deforestation within breeding ranges may still drive population trends of migratory forest birds in the East Asian Flyway. Sci Rep 2023; 13:14007. [PMID: 37635179 PMCID: PMC10460791 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-40626-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The East Asian Flyway (EAF) is the most species diverse of global flyways, with deforestation in its migratory landbird's non-breeding range suspected to be the main driver of population decline. Yet range-wide habitat loss impact assessments on EAF migratory landbirds are scarce, and seasonal variation in habitat preference of migratory species further increases the complexity for conservation strategies. In this study, we reviewed population trends of migratory forest breeding birds in the EAF along with their seasonal habitat preference from the literature and assessed the impact of forest cover change in species' breeding and non-breeding ranges on population trends. We found that 41.3% of the bird species with trend data available are declining, and most have higher forest preference in the breeding season. Despite 93.4% of the species experienced deforestation throughout their annual cycle, forest cover change in the non-breeding range was not identified as the main driver of population trend. However, forest cover change in species' regional breeding range interacts positively with the degree of breeding season forest preference in predicting population trends. We therefore stress that regional breeding habitat protection may still be important while following the call for cross-border collaboration to fill the information gap for flyway conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jerome Chie-Jen Ko
- Taiwan Biodiversity Research Institute, Nantou, 552002, Taiwan
- Institute of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 106216, Taiwan
| | - An-Yu Chang
- Taiwan Biodiversity Research Institute, Nantou, 552002, Taiwan
| | - Ruey-Shing Lin
- Taiwan Biodiversity Research Institute, Nantou, 552002, Taiwan
| | - Pei-Fen Lee
- Institute of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 106216, Taiwan.
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Katuwal HB, Sharma HP, Thakur R, Rokka P, Mandal DN, Baral HS, Quan RC. Illegal Trapping and Local Trade of Farmland Birds in Madhesh Province, Nepal. Glob Ecol Conserv 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2023.e02391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
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