Bangladesh Spoon-billed Sandpiper Conservation Project (BSCP)
Key species
Spoon-billed Sandpiper
Location
Sonadia Island
Cox’s Bazar
Status
Active
Duration
15 Years +
Target community
Local people
Hope takes flight with the
Spoon-billed Sandpiper
Bangladesh Spoon-billed Sandpiper Conservation Project conducts research and promotes conservation of shorebirds in Bangladesh with special focus on the Critically Endangered Spoon-billed Sandpiper. The project has been working in an organised manner along the coast of Bangladesh especially on Sonadia Island since 2009. In March 2010 the team counted a minimum of 25 Spoon-billed Sandpipers on Sonadia Island at Cox’s Bazar, and 23 on Domar Char on the central south coast. These were the highest counts since 1997 from Bangladesh! The project identified Sonadia Island as the key wintering site and Domar Char as a passaging site in Bangladesh.
The problem
– limited understanding on the status, distribution and threats to Spoon-billed Sandpiper in Bangladesh
– no direct conservation intervention for SBS conservation
– coastal wetlands under development pressure
– shorebird hunting in SBS hotspots
The cause
– lack of scientific research and long-term monitoring of the species and its habitats
– no dedicated national or local conservation programs for the Spoon-billed Sandpiper
– unplanned coastal development and aquaculture causing habitat loss
– dependence on hunting and weak enforcement
The solution
– conduct targeted surveys and monitoring to improve knowledge of population, distribution and threats
– implement site-based conservation with community-led habitat protection and management
– prioritise key coastal wetlands for protection and integrate needs into coastal planning
– reduce hunting through alternative livelihood support, awareness and stronger law enforcement
Village Conservation Groups (VCG) of the five villages on and around Sonadia Island are now monitoring these activities, and ex-hunters repay a small percentage of the income generated by the alternative livelihood to their VCG. The respective VCGs will then use this money for further hunting mitigation and shorebird conservation awareness within these villages such as building billboards, small scale campaign etc. The entire process is being monitored and guided by the Bangladesh Spoon-billed Sandpiper Conservation Project.
Activities
n order to evaluate the effectiveness of the hunting mitigation scheme and awareness programs
(2009-2016), a semi-structured questionnaire survey was conducted in December 2016 in and around Sonadia Island by the BSCP team. A total of 46 villagers and 17 ex-hunters were individually interviewed in and around Sonadia. All the respondents said there is no more hunting in the area. According to the survey responses, hunting stopped around five years ago (2011). The main reasons given for ending hunting were mitigation measures by BSCP, strict laws and regulations, education and higher profitability of catching crabs and shrimp farming.
Along with monthly monitoring of shorebirds on Sonadia Island, BSCP conducts surveys in previously unsurveyed areas such as the Sundarbans (2012). As part of the new area search BSCP carried out a detailed survey around Sandwip, Chittagong in 2015-2108. A total of 35,000 shorebirds of 24 species were counted including 48 Spoon-billed Sandpipers in the region. This new site is equally important as Sonadia Island in Cox’s Bazar and may support up to 100 Spoon-billed Sandpipers. Further surveys are now being conducted in order to understand more about the site and the Spoon-billed Sandpipers. A proposal to declare the key sites in the area has also been submitted to the government authorities.
Outcomes
Along with monthly monitoring of shorebirds on Sonadia Island, BSCP conducts surveys in previously unsurveyed areas such as the Sundarbans (2012). As part of the new area search BSCP carried out a detailed survey around Sandwip, Chittagong in 2015-2108. A total of 35,000 shorebirds of 24 species were counted including 48 Spoon-billed Sandpipers in the region. This new site is equally important as Sonadia Island in Cox’s Bazar and may support up to 100 Spoon-billed Sandpipers. Further surveys are now being conducted in order to understand more about the site and the Spoon-billed Sandpipers. A proposal to declare the key sites in the area has also been submitted to the government authorities.
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“The survival of the Spoon-billed Sandpiper depends on the fragile coastlines of Bangladesh. Protecting them means protecting one of the rarest voices of our natural world.”