Threats to shorebirds, particularly Spotted Greenshank Tringa guttifer, along the Inner Gulf of Thailand

Abstract

In order to support rare species, we need to understand the threats to them. To identify the threats faced by non-breeding Spotted (Nordmann's) Greenshank Tringa guttifer we visited coastal sites throughout the Gulf of Thailand. The Inner Gulf of Thailand supports approximately 20–30% of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway global population of 1,500–2,000 Spotted Greenshanks. Identifying the specific threats they face in this area is therefore critical to develop measures to prevent further decline. We assessed the conservation situation at four ‘hotspots’ for Spotted Greenshank, areas supporting >1% of the global population. We identified three major threats: habitat loss, disturbance, and illegal netting. Each of these threats require place-based management interventions if long-term conservation of Spotted Greenshank, and other EAAF waterbirds, is to be accomplished.