The
beautiful White-headed Duck is a compelling species. Keen birdwatchers are
always eager to catch a glimpse of its distinctive blue bill or stiff tail. Its
larger, eastern population in Asia is shrouded in mystery: the precise breeding
and wintering grounds of tens of thousands of birds counted in Kazakhstan
remains unknown. This population is also migratory, travelling long distances
from Siberia to the Middle East, whereas the smaller western Mediterranean
population resident in Spain, Algeria and Tunisia is more sedentary and far
more closely studied. Sadly, what unites these populations is their IUCN
listing as globally ‘Endangered’.
Back in
the 1970s, the Spanish population of White-headed Duck was brought to the verge
of extinction following the severe destruction of its wetland habitats and
unsustainable hunting. A count in 1977 recorded just 22 individuals, confined
to a single lagoon in Córdoba, Andalucía. Conservationists sprang into action:
hunting at the lagoon site was made illegal and habitat restoration measures
were implemented, including vegetation regeneration and the removal of harmful
non-native species. Slowly but surely, the species began to recover,
progressively spreading first to the neighbouring provinces of Sevilla and
Cádiz and then on to Almería and Toledo. By 1988, more than 400 birds could be
counted and today that number has rocketed up to 2,500 individuals across 13
Spanish provinces.
The
spectacular recovery of the White-headed Duck in Spain is an inspiring example
of what can be achieved by a well-coordinated Species Action Plan (SAP),
grounded in science and supported by local authorities and community groups.
But success in one country usually isn’t enough to turn things around for a
whole species worldwide. That is why BirdLife has been leading the LIFE EuroSAP
project with the goal of elaborating SAPs for sixteen iconic species on an
international scale, spanning 65 countries and three continents. The
White-headed Duck, still Endangered globally, was selected to be one of the
target species, with SEO/BirdLife Spain coordinating efforts to identify
threats and conservation measures to feed into an updated international SAP.
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