Waterbirds cover thousands or even tens of thousands of kilometres every year during their annual migratory cycle between their breeding and non-breeding areas. Thus many countries have a shared responsibility for the monitoring and management of waterbird populations. We support these efforts by aggregating counts from national monitoring schemes into the International Waterbird Census.
We use these counts to monitor the status and trends of waterbird species. These analyses allow us to support major international and national policies to conserve and manage waterbird populations and key wetland sites.
International Waterbird Census (IWC)
The International Waterbird Census covers over 25,000 sites in more than 100 countries. There are separate regional schemes in Africa-Eurasia, Asia-Pacific, the Caribbean and the Neotropics. These represent the major flyways of the world. In each country, national coordinators work with a network of professional and amateur counters.
In total, more than 15,000 people submit their data annually. This makes it one of the largest global monitoring schemes largely based on citizen science.
Waterbird Monitoring Partnership
We also collaborate closely with other organisations, specialist groups and international bodies, both individually and through the Waterbird Monitoring Partnership. Among other functions, the Waterbird Monitoring Partnership integrates the International Waterbird Census with other monitoring schemes and expertise to improve the scientific basis of our work.
Waterbird Population Estimates
A key example of our collaborative approach is our
Waterbird Population Estimates. Here we collect and review data and current knowledge on the size and trends of over 2000 waterbird populations worldwide, in order to identify internationally important wetland sites under the Ramsar Convention.