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全 球 涉 禽 數 目 逐 漸 下 降 ...
The International Wader Study Group - a Specialist
Group of Wetlands International and IUCN-The World Conservation Union's
Species Survival Commission - has just held a technical workshop and
Conference in Cadiz, Spain that brought together 132 specialists from
20 countries to review the population and conservation status of waders
(or shorebirds) around the world.
The status of waders in all regions of the world
was assessed using best available data and concluded that the majority
of populations of waders of known population trend are in decline all
around the world - a matter of international conservation concern.
The reasons for these declines are diverse and poorly understood. Of
populations with known trends, 48% are declining, in contrast to just
16% which are increasing.
In East Asia and Australasia, there are enormous
human population pressures in a region that supports over one third
of the world's human population as well as some of the world's fastest
growing economies. This has its impacts on the wader populations and
their wetland habitats. Over 80% of the wetlands in the region are
classified as threatened, with over half under serious threat. Of the
inter-tidal wetlands in South Korea, 43% have been destroyed by land-reclamation
(with more underway), as also have 37% of the inter-tidal wetlands
along China's coastlines.
Asia is the region holding the highest number
of wader populations, and the highest proportion for which we lack
information on numbers and trends in populations. Asia and Ocenia between
them hold 32 Globally Threatened species, which is 58% of the world's
Globally Threatened wader species.
Of the 12 globally threatened wader species
on the East Asia-Australasian flyway, one is probably extinct, six
are in active decline and the status of the remaining five is unknown.
None are recovering their status.
The full text of the concluding statement from
the Conference and summary statistics can be found on WSG's web-site
at: www.waderstudygroup.org
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