Shorebird conservation

Studying migratory shorebirds almost invariably means encountering population declines and threats. Shorebirds, as most migratory animals, respond strongly to change. We face these threats and aim to understand the changes, and thereby we create chances to prevent and reverse negative trends.

Our research generates general and specific advice for conservation, but also hope and beautiful stories, connecting countries & cultures. Especially the tracking devices we use to follow our birds haven proven to be enigmatic 'multipurpose' tools. The tracks of individual migrants (1) spawn compassion and awareness, (2) reveal  (unknown) key habitats, and (3) result in ground-breaking scientific insights.

Although we leave conservation advocacy to much more skilled nature conservationists, we do actively pursue uptake of the scientific knowledge we generate into the relevant "policy windows" (see Rose et al. Policy windows for the environment: tips for improving the uptake of scientific knowledge. In: Environmental Science & Policy July 2017).

What we concretely do:

Foresee (even create): we are connected to and collaborate with relevant organisations to inform nature conservation. This includes governments (from regional to international), international conservation organisations such as BirdLife International, WWF, intergovernmental bodies such as IUCN and AEWA, and Dutch organisations such as Vogelbescherming Nederland, Natuurmonumenten, Staatsbosheer and It Fryske Gea.

Respond: We make stories and knowledge available that supports targeted conservation actions, or supports concerns raised by policy makers or conservation advocates.

Frame: We provided a narrative of our research results to match public debate.

Persevere: Our outreach to inform the debate and action is ongoing. We aim for repeated, positive and non-confrontational exposure to relevant science. This includes lectures for general and targeted audience; attending debates; maintaining online media websites and a Twitter account.