From the Ramsar Forum

Consultation on revision of wader population estimates for Africa and Eurasia

(posted to the Ramsar Forum, 27 February 2002)

International consultation on draft text of WSG's evaluation of migratory wader populations in Africa and Eurasia

For the last few years, the Wader Study Group has been undertaking a major project to review and update population size estimates for all migratory wader species in the African-Eurasian region. This huge exercise commenced with workshops associated with WSG Conferences in 1996 and 1998 and has involved the compilation of a huge amount of data - principally January counts, but also breeding estimates where counts are unavailable.

The project has grown from an early focus on updating 1980s estimates for the East Atlantic Flyway populations to a more comprehensive assessment of all migratory species within the area covered by the Africa-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement (AEWA). Although significant new data has been rarely available for many populations using other flyways, this comprehensive approach enables comparisons of status between flyways.

The review is intended for publication later in 2002 such that the conclusions (revised population estimates and trend information, and new or revised 1% thresholds) can be used to inform the Second Meeting of Parties of AEWA (September) and the eighth Conference of the Parties to the Ramsar Convention (November). The re-assessment will have significant implications for other issues being discussed at those inter-governmental meetings. They will also feed into the third edition of the global collation of Wetlands International's Waterbird Population Estimates due to be published this autumn for Ramsar's COP8.

We are on a tight timescale to complete this work in order that the final results can inform these international conservation fora.

This first draft text is being made available on WSG's web-site (http://www.uct.ac.za/depts/stats/adu/wsg/ (under What is new?)) and we are widely inviting comment on the draft text and conclusions. The consultation will close at the end of April 2002, after which the manuscript will be revised and submitted for publication. The review is ambitious and we are bound to have overlooked important information. Accordingly, we would greatly value comments on the draft at this stage, all of which will be duly acknowledged. (There is more information on the consultation on the web-site).

Thank you in anticipation.

David Stroud

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