A new online initiative, Adopt a Spoonie, has been launched to raise awareness and mobilise financial support for the conservation of the Critically Endangered Spoon-billed Sandpiper. Developed by the International Conservation Fund (ICF), the platform offers individuals an opportunity to symbolically adopt one of the world’s rarest migratory shorebirds while supporting conservation activities coordinated through the Spoon-billed Sandpiper Task Force and its field partners.
With fewer than 500 adult Spoon-billed Sandpipers estimated to remain in the wild, the initiative features a virtual flock of 500 birds, representing the estimated remaining adult population. Supporters can adopt and name an individual bird, receive a personalised digital certificate and follow conservation progress through twice-yearly updates from field teams working across the flyway.
Supporting conservation across the flyway
The Spoon-billed Sandpiper migrates thousands of kilometres between its breeding grounds in the Russian Arctic and non-breeding wetlands in South and Southeast Asia. Throughout this journey, it faces threats including coastal habitat loss, hunting, bycatch and human disturbance.
Funds raised through the adoption initiative will support ongoing field conservation activities in Bangladesh, Myanmar, China and Thailand, including habitat protection, community-based conservation, hunting mitigation and regular monitoring. The campaign also aims to expand conservation efforts to newly identified sites in Vietnam, where recent satellite tracking and field surveys have revealed previously overlooked areas used by the species.
In Bangladesh, SCOPE Foundation has been working since 2009 through the Bangladesh Spoon-billed Sandpiper Conservation Project (BSCP), combining long-term monitoring, community engagement, hunting mitigation and conservation advocacy at important wintering sites, particularly Sonadia Island and the Meghna Estuary.
Every adoption supports real conservation
Although the adoption is symbolic, the contributions support practical conservation efforts on the ground. The initiative also highlights how protecting the Spoon-billed Sandpiper benefits many other migratory waterbirds that depend on the same coastal wetlands.
Despite encouraging progress in slowing the species’ decline, continued conservation efforts remain essential to prevent its extinction. The new adoption platform offers an opportunity for birdwatchers, conservation supporters and the wider public to contribute directly to the protection of this remarkable species.
Explore the new website and adopt a Spoonie: https://internationalconservationfund.org/spoonie/