Successful conservation of global waterbird populations depends on effective governance

• Published in: Nature (London) Vol. 553; no. 7687; pp. 199 - 202
• Main Authors: Amano, Tatsuya, Székely, Tamás, Sandel, Brody, Nagy, Szabolcs, Mundkur, Taej, Langendoen, Tom, Blanco, Daniel, Soykan, Candan U., Sutherland, William J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 11.01.2018; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 631/158/672; 631/158/851; 704/158/672; 704/158/851; 704/172/4081; Abundance; Animal populations; Aquatic birds; Aquatic ecosystems; Biodiversity; Bird migration; Bird populations; Birds; Climate change; Conservation; Ecosystem services; Endangered & extinct species; Environmental changes; Environmental policy; Humanities and Social Sciences; Instability; letter; multidisciplinary; Protected areas; Protection and preservation; Science; Stability; Surface water; Water birds; Waterfowl; Wetlands; Wildfowl; Wildlife conservation
• ISSN: 0028-0836; 1476-4687
• DOI: 10.1038/nature25139

Statistical modelling of global survey datasets of waterbirds as an indicator taxon for biodiversity changes in wetland ecosystems demonstrates that effective governance is the strongest predictor of species abundance increases and conservation benefits. Governance impact on wetland biodiversity Wetlands are among the most biodiverse and productive ecosystems on the planet, but are also among the most threatened. Tatsuya Amano and colleagues examine changes in the abundance of 461 wetland waterbird species between 1990 and 2013 and the drivers of these changes using survey data from 25,769 sites around the globe. Community-level losses in abundance were greatest in western and central Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and South America. The strongest predictor of community-level changes in abundance was governance, with steeper abundance declines in regions where governance was less effective. Greater protected area coverage of wetlands was associated with increased waterbird abundance, but only in areas with effective governance. The findings suggest that the benefits of protected areas for biodiversity conservation can only be realized in the context of effective governance. Understanding global patterns of biodiversity change is crucial for conservation research, policies and practices. However, for most ecosystems, the lack of systematically collected data at a global level limits our understanding of biodiversity changes and their local-scale drivers. Here we address this challenge by focusing on wetlands, which are among the most biodiverse and productive of any environments 1 , 2 and which provide essential ecosystem services 3 , 4 , but are also amongst the most seriously threatened ecosystems 3 , 5 . Using birds as an indicator taxon of wetland biodiversity, we model time-series abundance data for 461 waterbird species at 25,769 survey sites across the globe. We show that the strongest predictor of changes in waterbird abundance, and of conservation efforts having beneficial effects, is the effective governance of a country. In areas in which governance is on average less effective, such as western and central Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and South America, waterbird declines are particularly pronounced; a higher protected area coverage of wetland environments facilitates waterbird increases, but only in countries with more effective governance. Our findings highlight that sociopolitical instability can lead to biodiversity loss and undermine the benefit of existing conservation efforts, such as the expansion of protected area coverage. Furthermore, data deficiencies in areas with less effective governance could lead to underestimations of the extent of the current biodiversity crisis.