Pantai Cemara, located in Jambi Province, Sumatra, Indonesia, is known as one of the most important wetland for migratory waterbirds, including the globally Endangered Nordmann’s Greenshank Tringa guttifer, Great Knot Calidris tenuirostris, Far Eastern Curlew Numenius madagascariensis, Vulnerable Chinese Egret Egretta eulophotes and the Near threatened Asian Dowitcher Limnodromus semipalmatus.

There were records in Pantai Cemara showing more than 1% of Nordmann’s Greenshank’s global population in recent years. In 2019, we recorded 28 individuals of Nordmann’s Greenshank, and in 2020 recorded 21 individuals of Nordmann’s Greenshank at this site. Despite this significant numbers of Nordmann’s Greenshank, total numbers of migratory shorebirds at Pantai Cemara fluctuate a lot, from 17,302 in 2019 (maximum total count of migratory shorebirds in 2019) declining to 2,817 in 2020 (maximum count of migratory shorebirds in 2020).

Nordmann’s Greenshank at Pantai Cemara, Jambi ©Cipto Dwi Handono/EKSAI

Based on our observation, this decline may be explained by the rapid and massive growth of the vegetation, leading to a drastic difference of estuarine intertidal mudflat at Pantai Cemara.

Mudflat covered with grass and Ipomea sp. ©EKSAI

Mixed flock of Godwit, Asian Dowitcher, and Great Knot ©Cipto Dwi Handono/EKSAI

Species showing the highest decline rate is Black-tailed Godwit. In 2019, we recorded 3,200 individuals of Black-tailed Godwit and in 2020 only 525 individuals recorded at the site.

Another species that shows decline is Far Eastern Curlew. In 2019, we recorded 38 individuals of Far Eastern Curlew and in 2020 we recorded 35 individuals of Far Eastern Curlew at the site. Although the maximum number of this species are not as drastically declining like Black-tailed Godwit, Far Eastern Curlew is considered as Endangered species based on the last assessment by BirdLife International (BirdLife International, 2017) and Critically Endangered (CR) species in Australia (UNEP-CMS 2017).

Our team already discuss this concern to Jambi Province Forestry Department and the Conservation and Natural Resources Agency. We agree to continue monitor and study the condition, collaborating with local youth team to collect the data and make sure if this massive growth of natural vegetation at Pantai Cemara indeed affect the potency of this site as non-breeding ground for migratory shorebirds including Nordmann’s Greenshank.

We thank EAAFP for the support, so that we could continue the migratory conservation activity with local people at Pantai Cemara, Jambi.

Reported by. Cipto Dwi Handono. EKSAI Foundation.

Contact: ciptodwihandono@gmail.com