06/04/2005– WWF and China’s
State Forestry Administration have completed
the second annual wetland and waterbird census
in the middle-lower reaches of the Yangtze
River and south Yellow Sea coastline.
Fourteen globally threatened species and
one near-threatened species were found during
the survey, including the Oriental stork,
swan goose, lesser white-fronted goose, Siberian
Crane, white-naped crane and hooded crane.
A grand total of 635,967 waterbirds from
95 species was counted. The most common species
group counted was the Anatidae (ducks, geese
and swans) comprising 67 per cent, followed
by shorebirds (16%), egrets and herons (5%),
and gulls (4%).
The 2005 survey also revealed that waterbird
distribution had changed considerably due
to different water levels compared to 2004,
the first year the survey took place.
The redistribution of bird populations highlight
the need for increased protected areas to
cover the range of habitat used by waterbirds
over a period of time.
"While changing water levels from year
to year is a natural occurrence, it is only
by conducting this annual survey – together
with regular monitoring work – that we will
be able to assess threats, including the impact
of developments such as the Three Gorges Dam,"
said Mark Barter, a WWF China consultant working
on the survey.
"With accurate information, we can then
offer solutions," added Lei Gang, WWF
China's Freshwater and Marine Programme Officer.
The census included portions of Hunan, Hubei,
Jiangxi, Anhui, and Jiangsu provinces as well
as Chongming Island, Hengsha island and Jiuduansha
island in the Yangtze River estuary. It took
place over a two-week period, and included
12 teams consisting of staff from nature reserves,
provincial and county forestry bureaus, universities
and volunteers from non-government organizations.
The survey revealed that populations of swan
Geese, a globally threatened species, exceeded
the current estimate of the global population
(estimated at 55,000) by over 6,000.
In addition, large numbers of cranes were
seen, including 90 per cent of the global
population of the Siberian crane (2,693 individuals
counted) and 37 per cent of the regional population
of the white-naped Crane (1,491). The numbers
of hooded cranes seen (1,088) exceeded the
estimated flyway population (1,000). Forty
per cent of the global population of the Oriental
white stork (1,194 individuals) was counted.
