New hope for two of the most threatened birds in the world

Spoon-billed Sandpiper and Nordmann's Greenshank found in record numbers in China

October 2013. An international survey team found a sensational record total of 140 Spoon-billed Sandpiper and 1,200 Nordmann's Greenshank, two of the rarest and most threatened birds of the world in Rudong Jinagsu Province on the Chinese coastline.

Entire world population

"We believe the entire world population of the adult population of both Spoon-billed Sandpiper and Nordmannn's Greenshank are staging at the highly productive intertidal flats on the coast of Rudong" stated Dr Nigel Clark from the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) in the UK, highlighting its vital importance for the survival of both species.

Special wetland reserve created

Representatives of the local and provincial government announced the creation of a special wetland reserve for Spoon-billed Sandpipers during a workshop following the survey. "This is a historic moment in the conservation of the species. For the first time since our efforts to conserve the species began in 2000, we can realistically hope to save the species from extinction" concluded Dr Christoph Zöckler, coordinator of the Spoon-billed Sandpiper (SBS) Task Force, who organized the survey and workshop with Jing Li and Tong Menxiu from SBS in China.

Continued