A new project led by the University of Queensland’s Dr Richard Fuller is aiming to measure the size of the declines in shorebird populations throughout the East–Asian Australasian Flyway. Recent analysis by UQ scientists discovered that some species spending the non-breeding season in south-east Queensland have declined by up to 70% in the past 20 years (Wilson et al. in press). This new project will further try to understand what is driving declines in shorebirds, and what we can do to reverse it. The work is co-funded by a Linkage grant from the Australian Research Council, State and Federal environment departments, and the Queensland Wader Study Group. Not long after the project got underway, Andrew Geering (Chair, Queensland Wader Study Group) presented our work on migratory shorebirds to Bruce Miller, the Australian Ambassador Designate to Japan when he visited the University of Queensland on July 14th. We are happy to report that growing numbers of people are showing interest in the plight of migratory shorebirds, including Ambassador Miller.

To learn more visit www.fullerlab.org