Shorebird Welfare and Intertidal Habitat Loss

Migratory shorebirds depend on intertidal mudflat refuelling sites along their flyways, and coastal development and land reclamation are eliminating these critical welfare habitats, causing mass starvation during migration.

Key Facts

Many shorebird species migrate thousands of kilometres between Arctic breeding grounds and southern wintering areas
The Yellow Sea in East Asia has lost over 65% of its intertidal mudflats to land reclamation since 1950
Bar-tailed godwits fly non-stop from Alaska to New Zealand — up to 12,000 km — without feeding
Shorebirds that cannot refuel at stopover sites arrive at breeding grounds in poor body condition or die
Spoon-billed sandpiper numbers have declined to fewer than 500 individuals partly due to staging habitat loss
The East Asian-Australasian Flyway faces the most severe staging habitat loss of any major flyway

Welfare Considerations

Shorebird welfare at staging sites is an acute and growing crisis. Birds that cannot find adequate food at refuelling sites arrive at the next stop depleted, breed poorly, or die during subsequent flights. Reclamation of Yellow Sea mudflats — among the most productive intertidal environments on Earth — directly removes the energetic foundation of the entire flyway. Starvation during migration is a prolonged welfare harm that affects billions of individual birds. Protection and restoration of remaining intertidal habitat is the most direct welfare and conservation intervention. International cooperation across flyway nations is essential because no single country can solve a problem defined by multi-thousand-kilometre migrations.

What You Can Do

Support Yellow Sea intertidal habitat protection and Ramsar site designations
Donate to Wetlands International and BirdLife flyway conservation programmes
Advocate for moratoriums on new coastal land reclamation in key shorebird staging areas
Raise awareness about shorebird migration and the importance of stopover site quality
Reduce consumption of seafood from operations that have reclaimed shorebird mudflat habitat