Wildlife

Migratory Shorebird Conservation

Migratory shorebirds face threats at multiple points along flyways spanning entire hemispheres.

Key Facts

The East Asian-Australasian flyway has lost 70-80% of some shorebird species since the 1980s
Intertidal habitat loss in Yellow Sea stopover sites is the primary threat
Hunting along flyways affects populations in ways that impact distant breeding grounds
Climate change is shifting timing mismatches between migration and food availability

Welfare Considerations

Migratory shorebirds demonstrate the transnational nature of wildlife welfare — threats at any point in a flyway spanning thousands of miles can collapse populations. The loss of tidal flat stopover sites in Asia has devastated species dependent on these refueling points. Individual birds that fail to find food on exhausting migrations face a desperate and prolonged death.

What You Can Do

Support Yellow Sea tidal flat protection and reclamation reversal
Advocate for hunting restrictions along major flyway corridors
Support citizen science programs tracking shorebird populations
Reduce seafood from aquaculture that destroys intertidal habitat