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Topic: SB Sandpiper on verge of extinction 勺嘴鷸處於滅絕邊緣 (Read 960 times) |
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Carrie Ma
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SB Sandpiper on verge of extinction 勺嘴鷸處於滅絕邊緣
« on: Jan 29th, 2006, 11:14pm » |
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Message form APMW e-mail group.
-----Original Message-----
From: Taej Mundkur
Sent: Sunday, January 29, 2006 10:54 PM
To: Asia Pacific Migratory Waterbirds
Subject: [APMW] FW: Bangladesh - Bird Survey
Dear all,
FYI, attached is two news items about an ongoing survey for the globally endangered Spoonbilled Sandpiper Eurynorhynchus pygmeus in Bangladesh, with a estimated population of less than 3,000 individuals.
The main non-breeding sites (during the northern winter) for this species remain to be identified and are believed to be the tidal flats of the Arabian Sea. However, the small size of this bird and lack of extensive surveys across this region have prevented the identification of the main sites. Surveys conducted in 2005 in the Indian Sunderbans and Orissa coast to Chilika Lake failed to spot be the bird.
It is hoped that these ongoing surveys will help to identify the sites of importance for this species, a first step to promoting their conservation.
With best wishes, Taej
Dr. Taej Mundkur
Wetlands International - South Asia
-----Original Message-----
From: NALINM@AOL.COM
Sent: Tuesday, January 24, 2006 9:43 AM
FWD -
Survey on endangered birds soon
By Staff Reporter
Sat, 14 Jan 2006, 10:47:00
A survey on endangered bird species in Bangladesh will be undertaken soon by an international team of ornithologists.
A nine member bird experts from Germany, Russia and United Kingdom will conduct the survey titled 'Spoonbilled Sandpiper in Bangladesh'. The Bangladesh Bird Club and Wildlife Trust of Bangladesh is jointly organising the survey.
The survey by an international team of experts to research endangered species of birds is the first of its kind in Bangladesh. The nine ornithologists will join with 10 Bangladeshi bird lovers to from three groups and survey three coastal areas - Bhola-Patuakhali coast, Laksmipur- Noakhali coast and Cox's Bazar- Tekhnaf coast from January 17 to 25. The findings of the survey will be presented in a seminar on January 27.
http://nation.ittefaq.com/artman/publish/article_24665.shtml
FWD - NEW NATION, BANGLADESH, JAN 17, 2006
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Spoon-billed Sandpiper on verge of extinction
By Staff Reporter
Mon, 16 Jan 2006, 11:12:00
Speakers at a press conference said only 300 breeding pairs of Spoon-billed Sandpiper, existed all over the world and immediate conservation measures were needed to save the endangered species of bird from extinction.
The press conference on ‘The Survey of an Endangered Bird, Spoon-billed Sandpiper on the Coast of Bangladesh’ was held at National Press Club in the city yesterday.
The Wildlife Trust of Bangladesh (WTB) and Bangladesh Bird Club organised the press conference to clarify the purpose and scope of a survey by an international team of experts on the coast of Bangladesh on a globally endangered bird, Spoon-billed Sandpiper.
The migratory birds, most significant resources of the nature, are unsafe in their wintering grounds including Bangladesh, Enayetullah Khan, Chairman of the WTB said while presided over the session.
UNB Chairman Amanullah Khan, leader of the survey team Dr Christoph Zockler, Tim Inskipp, an author of books on the birds and Enam Ul Haque, National Coordinator of Asian Waterfowl Census in Bangladesh, among others, addressed the conference.
Enayetullah said Bangladesh is the abode of some 700 species of birds, among which around 300 species are migrants. These migratory birds, most of which dwell around water bodies, are the major components of the ecosystem.
Visits of these birds indicate that the health of the country’s ecosystems is still livable. If we fail to conserve these waterfowls we would face tremendous crisis of usable water, which is the lifeline of Bangladesh, he added.
He mentioned that a remarkable number of different species of birds in the country are now on the verge of extinction, facing a multitude of threats including being the victim of human greed.
Dr Zockler said Russia is the habitation of this rare species of migratory bird. The number of this bird is declining awfully due to some mysterious reasons.
He mentioned that the main purpose of the survey is to study the important wintering area of Spoon-billed Sandpipers in Bangladesh as well as to promote conservation of a few habitats critical for its survival.
Amanullah Khan emphasised on a complete overhaul of Bangladesh Wildlife Protection Act 1974 and said its effective implementation is ‘Indispensable to safeguard our land and coasts from environmental degradation.’
Spoon-billed Sandpiper is a small, 17cm, and shorebird with a spoon-shaped bill. It inhabits the coastal areas of Bangladesh, India, Myanmar and a few neighbouring countries in winter and breeds in summer at Russian tundra. It feeds on very small invertebrates living in the inter-tidal mudflat.
http://nation.ittefaq.com/artman/publish/article_24734.shtml
© Copyright 2003 by The New Nation
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| « Last Edit: Jan 30th, 2006, 7:46pm by Webcreeper » |
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Carrie Ma
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Re: SB Sandpiper on verge of extinction 勺嘴鷸處於
« Reply #1 on: Feb 2nd, 2006, 7:19am » |
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More news ciruclated in the APWM e-mail group today.
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-bangladesh-rare-sand piper,0,2516217.story
Team Finds Rare Sandpipers in Bangladesh
By PARVEEN AHMED
Associated Press Writer
January 27, 2006, 7:21 PM EST
DHAKA, Bangladesh -- At least 11 rare spoon-billed sandpipers have been discovered along the coast of Bangladesh, scientists said Friday, raising hopes for the survival of the birds, whose population has dwindled to just 300-350 pairs in the wild.
Concern rose over the fate of the small shore birds, named for their distinctive teaspoon-shaped bills, after a 2005 expedition failed to find a single bird in their traditional winter habitat along India's east coast.
But the prospects of the sandpipers thriving in Bangladesh are bleak unless urgent steps are taken to protect the mudflats where they can be found, said Christoph Zockler, a German ornithologist based in
Cambridge, England.
"Bangladesh is highly significant as a wintering area for the spoon-billed sandpipers. But we are very concerned that the last suitable habitat for them will be destroyed over the next few years," said Zockler, speaking at a seminar in the Bangladeshi capital.
In populous Bangladesh, poor villagers are increasingly encroaching on coastal mudflats and mangroves to set up shrimp farms or salt beds. Also, fishermen often trap shore birds in their nets.
"Urgent international action is required to protect the coastal habitats of these birds," Zockler said. He suggested an international action plan involving concerned countries from Russia to Bangladesh.
The sandpipers spend summers breeding in the Russian tundra, then migrate south to warmer climates in South Asia after a nearly 6,000-kilometer (3,730-mile) arduous journey over Japan, Korea, China and Thailand.
A 2000-2005 survey found only an estimated 300-350 breeding pairs in Siberia, Zockler said.
The cause of their decline is not clear, but something may be happening to the birds along their migratory route, he said.
"We hope to uncover the mystery along the fly path," he said, adding that some of the birds have been ringed.
Possible reasons for the decline include predators, egg collectors, global warming or coastal degradation due to human activities such as land reclamation.
An 18-member survey team of experts from Russia, Germany, Britain and Bangladesh searched Bangladesh's southern coastline from Jan. 17 to 25, finding eight of the sandpipers on a mudflat at Bangladesh's southernmost tip in the Bay of Bengal. Three more birds were spotted at two places in a southern coastal district.
The Bangladesh survey also collected soil samples and pinpointed geographical locations to study the species' winter habitat and feeding habits to determine if factors such as reduced food reserves or human activities are causing them to die out.
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| « Last Edit: Feb 2nd, 2006, 7:20am by Carrie Ma » |
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