Conservation under the wings of the Spoon-billed Sandpiper
Umbrella species: The Spoon-billed Sandpiper
Protection of Wetlands Across Asia
The Spoon-billed Sandpiper, a vital umbrella species, migrates along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway (EAAF), one of the most critical and diverse migratory routes worldwide. This flyway spans over 8,000 kilometers, connecting breeding grounds in northeast Russia with key wintering sites across Southeast Asia, including Myanmar, China, and other regions.
As an umbrella species, the Spoon-billed Sandpiper’s conservation indirectly protects numerous other species within these ecosystems. The EAAF hosts many endangered bird species, such as Great Knot and the Black-faced Spoonbill. Conservation actions, including wetland protection and regulations against hunting, are critical for maintaining this route and support the survival of the Spoon-billed Sandpiper and other species reliant on these shared habitats across Asia.
33 globally threatened and near threatened species and almost half a million waterbirds benefit from the Spoon-billed Sandpiper focused conservation efforts.
Spoon-billed Sandpiper breeding ground in Chukotka, Russia
The coastal tundra breeding grounds in Chukotka, where the Spoon-billed Sandpiper nests, host a unique array of Arctic bird species that thrive in the same specialized habitats.
Removing Mist Nets: One Action, Many Species Protected
Mist nets, often used illegally for bird trapping, pose a significant threat to the critically endangered Spoon-billed Sandpiper, especially in key wintering areas and stopover sites along its migratory route. These nets not only capture Spoon-billed Sandpipers but also entangle numerous other migratory birds, including endangered species like the Black-faced Spoonbill, Nordmann’s Greenshank, and the Far Eastern Curlew. By removing mist nets, our partners help reduce accidental capture and mortality, which is especially crucial for species with small, vulnerable populations.
International Cooperation Under the Umbrella of the Spoony
Protecting the Spoon-billed Sandpiper has sparked unprecedented international collaboration across Asia, linking conservation organizations, governments, and communities in a shared mission. This effort is building a strong regional network of environmental action, with countries working together to safeguard crucial wetland habitats, regulate hunting practices, and share research and resources. The sandpiper’s conservation is not only a strategy for its survival but a powerful catalyst for strengthening biodiversity protection and environmental cooperation across borders in Asia.
The many organizations working to save the Spoon-billed Sandpiper
ArcCona Consulting
Bangladesh Spoon-billed Sandpiper Conservation Project
Bangladesh Forest Department
Beijing Forestry University
Biodiversity and Nature Conservation Club
Birds Korea
Birds Russia
BirdLife International
BirdLife International in Indochina and University of Saigon
Bombay Natural History Society
BRC (Guangxi Biodiversity Research and Conservation Association)
BTO
Chester Zoo
Convention on Migratory Species
Conservation Ecology Program
School of Bioresources and Technology
King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT)
Department of National Parks
Wildlife and Plant Conservation of Thailand (DNP)
Duotan Wetland Research Institute (Hainan)
Fujian Birdwatching Society
German, Scandinavian and UK Spoon-billed Sandpiper Support Groups
Heritage Expeditions
Hong Kong Bird Watching Society
International Conservation Fund
International Conservation Fund of Canada
Liuzhou Birdwatching Society (Guangxi Province)
Mangrove Conservation Foundation
Moscow Zoo
Nanjing Normal University
Nature Conservation Society-Myanmar
New Zealand Department of Conservation
RSPB
SCOPE Foundation
SBS in China
University of Cambridge
Wader Quest
Wild Bird Society of Japan
WWT
Zhejiang Birdwatching Society
Zhanjiang Birdwatching Society
Zhiyu Art Museum (Guangxi Province).
Shorebird Stories
Conservation under the wings of the Spoon-billed Sandpiper
Conservation actions supporting the Spoon-billed Sandpiper in the wetland areas of East Asia benefit many other endangered species across Asia.
The Spoony of Peace
Much like the symbolic dove carrying an olive branch, the spoon-billed sandpiper transcends borders and politics, uniting governments, conservationists, and local communities in the shared mission of preventing its extinction.
The Spoony of Peace
Can Environmental Cooperation Survive in a Divided World?
International relations and cooperation between superpowers like the U.S., Russia, and China are at historic lows. Most of what we hear is about rivalry, tension, and military escalation. The prospects of a new Iron Curtain dividing the world are realistic, and only history will tell us if we have already crossed that point. However, even during the height of the Cold War, scientific and environmental cooperation between the USSR and the U.S. existed and served as a source of hope for peace and prosperity for humankind. Under the 1972 Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of Environmental Protection, the U.S. and the USSR worked together on wildlife conservation efforts, focusing on preserving biodiversity and protecting endangered species in their respective territories. Efforts to protect the Siberian tiger and the American bison were at the heart of that collaboration. American and Soviet scientists researched data and exchanged anti-poaching strategies; they also collaborated to understand the ecology, behavior, and population dynamics of the Siberian tiger. Can we still do this today?
A Siberian tiger photographed by a camera trap. Taken by
A “spoonie” on the breeding grounds in Chukotka, Siberia, June 2015. photo by
Spoony of peace
Saving the Spoon-billed Sandpiper Across Political Divides
In today’s context, it’s hard to find a more hopeful example of international collaboration than the effort to save the spoon-billed sandpiper. This small, critically endangered shorebird migrates across some of the most politically tense regions in the world—China, Russia, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Thailand, North Korea, and South Korea. Much like the symbolic dove carrying an olive branch, the spoon-billed sandpiper transcends borders and politics, uniting governments, conservationists, and local communities in the shared mission of preventing its extinction.
A Common Goal
The spoonie’s decline was rapid, primarily due to habitat loss from land reclamation and hunting. Today, with only around 100 breeding pairs left, its survival depends on conservation efforts spanning over 8,000 kilometers—from its breeding grounds in Russia’s Chukotka region to its wintering grounds in South and Southeast Asia. These efforts, involving multiple countries, share a common goal: halting the species' decline by 50% by 2025.
A Global Strategy
Ambitious goals require even more ambitious actions, and that is precisely what the multidisciplinary team of conservation scientists, coordinators, and strategists has been doing. Russian expedition teams, UK breeding programs, Chinese satellite tracking, and monitoring at key staging and wintering sites are all working together toward the common mission of creating a future for the spoon-billed sandpiper and millions of other migratory shorebirds of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway.
Conservation in Action
The scale, complexity, and urgency of the situation require diverse and immediate actions. Spoon-billed sandpiper migration is being tracked with satellite tags. A captive population has been established as a safeguard against extinction. Key sites in Myanmar, China and the South Korea have received protected status including some World Heritage Sites on the Yellow Seas of the latter two countries, covering an area of over 430,000 ha.
Spoon-billed Sandpiper hatchlings, photo: Pavel Tomkovich
Other significant efforts to protect the Spoon-billed Sandpiper include:
> Headstarting
A headstarting program for spoon-billed sandpipers has been underway since 2012, involving specialists collecting eggs from incubating birds in the wild, hatching and hand-raising the chicks in captivity to fledging age, and releasing the birds back into the wild. Headstarting efforts have released over 180 birds. This intervention protects the eggs and chicks during the particularly vulnerable incubation and rearing phases. Unfortunately, the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict has caused a pause in spoonie headstarting work. While headstarting activity is necessarily paused, the team has begun preparing for a potential return to full operations, hopefully in 2025, despite the existing challenges.
> Stopping Hunting
The EAAFP Spoon-billed Sandpiper Task Force is working with villagers in Myanmar and Bangladesh to ease the pressure of trapping. Good progress is being made to stop bird trapping on the spoon-billed sandpipers’ non-breeding grounds. Bird trappers sign agreements to cease hunting in return for small grants to buy fishing equipment. The East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership Spoon-billed Sandpiper Task Force estimates that as many as 80-90% of hunters in the Bay of Martaban, Myanmar (the most important wintering site in the world for the spoon-billed sandpiper), have now signed agreements to stop hunting and surrendered their trapping equipment. Advocacy work is raising the profile of the critically important intertidal wetlands in the Yellow Sea. Awareness-raising activities are introducing this incredible bird to children in the flyway. Annual surveys of breeding sites in Chukotka have been undertaken, with over 400 birds color-marked since 2012. A new breeding site, “Okeanskoe,” has also been discovered!
Net removal in South China
Are we up to the task?
The story of the spoon-billed sandpiper reminds us that conservation is a global challenge that requires collective action. No single country can save a migratory bird like the spoonie on its own—preservation depends on seamless cooperation across borders, cultures, and political ideologies. This species knows no boundaries, and its survival requires the same boundaryless approach from humanity.
In a world facing immense challenges like biodiversity loss and climate change, the spoon-billed sandpiper stands as a poignant symbol of our shared humanity. Its plight illustrates that we are all interconnected; the fate of one species is intricately tied to the well-being of our planet and, ultimately, to our own survival. The collaborative efforts to save the spoonie remind us that when we unite for a common purpose, we can achieve great things—overcoming political divisions, cultural differences, and economic disparities. In essence, the conservation of the spoon-billed sandpiper is not just about saving a bird; it is about fostering a sense of global community and shared responsibility. By working together, we can confront the pressing environmental challenges of our time, ensuring that future generations inherit a thriving planet rich in biodiversity. The collective action we take today, motivated by the fate of this remarkable bird, may well determine the course of humanity’s relationship with
nature.
Shorebird Stories
Conservation under the wings of the Spoon-billed Sandpiper
Conservation actions supporting the Spoon-billed Sandpiper in the wetland areas of East Asia benefit many other endangered species across Asia.
The Spoony of Peace
Much like the symbolic dove carrying an olive branch, the spoon-billed sandpiper transcends borders and politics, uniting governments, conservationists, and local communities in the shared mission of preventing its extinction.
Join the international efforts to save the Spoony by supporting our field partners in Myanmar, Bangladesh, China, and Thailand.