Population Increases in Non-Breeding Sanderlings in Ghana Indicate Site Preference

[摘要] Tobeabletosetprioritiesinspeciesconservationplanning,weneedtoknowhowthesespeciesprioritizetheenvironmentthemselves,i.e.whattheyconsidertobebetterandworsesites.WepresentauniqueandrelevantcasefromtropicalWest-Africabasedon20yearsofmonthlycountsofwetlandsitesspreadalongthe550kmlongcoastofGhana.TheGhanaianSanderlingCalidrisalbapopulationincreasedalmostfourfoldfromaveragemonthlytotalcountsofc.1350Sanderlingsto4850duringthestudyperiod.Interestingly,withthisconsiderableincrease,thesiteswiththelargernumbersatthestartofthesurveyshowedthesmallestrelativeincreasesduring20yearsofmonitoring.Thispatternisconsistentwithabuffereffectandsuggeststhatwithanincreasingoverallpopulationthebestqualitysitesarefilledup,sothatadditionalbirdswillbeforcedtouselowerqualitysites.ThepreferredsiteinGhana,astretchofbeachnearthevillageofEsiamabetweentheAmansuri-Ankobraestuaries,isnowentirelyunprotected.Wearguethatthesiteshouldbeplacedhigherontheconservationagendagiventhefactthatupto3.5%oftheSanderlingpopulationconnectingGreenlandwithWest-andsouthernAfricarelyonthissite.

[学科分类] 动物科学

[关键词] Flyway Conservation