The present status and distribution of the Critically Endangered Spoon-billed Sandpiper Calidris pygmaea in Vietnam

Identifying the wetlands of international importance in Beibu Gulf along the East Asian – Australasian Flyway, based on multiple citizen science datasets

“…The ECRL policy provides a framework for safeguarding these sites and underscores their importance in conserving ecological integrity and promoting sustainable development practices. In 2022, Vietnam passed the directive, 'urgent tasks and solutions to conserve wild and migratory birds', which provides new and important guidance to address conservation issues for migratory species such as hunting, and strengthening the national framework of policies and legislation addressing the protection of threatened species (Directive 4/ CT-TTg, 2022;Nguyen et al, 2023). Our results reinforce the need for urgent protection of important waterbird habitats in the Beibu Gulf to avert further declines of waterbird populations along the EAAF.…”

“…13 unprotected areas in China (Jintan, Bailangtan, Shanxinsha Island, Shaluoliao, Sanning Bay, Haiwei-Yangwu, Gaoqiao Town, Suixi Jiaotou, Qishui Chidouliao, Houshui Bay, Danzhou Bay, Changhua River Estuary, and Yinggehai, Figure S1) were located within or close to Ecological Redline boundaries (Choi et al, 2022), which is a spatial planning framework to protect areas that provide essential ecosystem services while biodiversity conservation could be a byproduct, thus providing some level of protection to these unprotected sites. In Vietnam, An Hai IBA, which overlaps with the major city of Hai Phong, supports some of the most extensive intertidal flats left in north Vietnam, but remains unprotected and is now being partly reclaimed for development (Nguyen et al, 2023).…”

“…With coastal habitats such as bare tidal flats, salt marshes, mangroves, reefs, and seagrasses, the Beibu Gulf is rich in marine biodiversity, supports key fisheries and aquaculture activities, recreation and tourism, ports, as well as a wide range of ecological services, e.g., storm surges (MacKinnon et al, 2012;United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), 2014;Teng et al, 2022). More specifically, this region provides nursery habitats for "living fossils", namely horseshoe crabs (Kwan et al, 2021), and critical habitats for migratory species such as black-faced spoonbill Platalea minor, spoon-billed sandpiper and spotted greenshank Tringa guttifer (Nguyen et al, 2021;Nguyen et al, 2023). Despite the ecological importance of the Beibu Gulf, research on migratory waterbirds in this part of the EAAF remains relatively limited.…”

“…In Vietnam, Xuan Thuy National Park (NP) has been well recognized for its importance to the black-faced spoonbill and spoon-billed sandpiper and has been regularly surveyed since the 1990s (Pedersen and Nielsen, 1998). Besides, there are substantial knowledge gaps in Southeast Asia, including Vietnam (Choi et al, 2016;Yong et al, 2022;Nguyen et al, 2023). Vietnam has a well-established network of protected areas, but very few coastal wetlands are included (Rambaldi et al, 2001).…”

“…According to Yong et al (2022), Vietnam has 13 coastal Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs), supporting 12 threatened bird species. Globally threatened species, such as Saunders's gull Saundersilarus saundersi, have been recorded in the Red River Delta of north Vietnam (Pedersen and Nielsen, 1998), while great knot Calidris tenuirostris and spoonbilled sandpiper were recorded in the Mekong Delta, Southern Vietnam (Zöckler et al, 2016;Nguyen et al, 2023).…”