Translated from the Spanish by the WHSRN Executive Office
Translated from the Spanish by the WHSRN Executive Office
The sustainability of an area is largely determined by how nature and development are integrated. Safeguarding coastal zones as buffers from the effects of climate change is critical to increasing the resilience of communities and the biodiversity they support.
Intertidal flats, sandy beaches, and rocky shores are home to human populations, infrastructure, and shorebirds, many of them long-distance migrants, who travel back and forth each year from their breeding grounds in the Arctic tundra to their non-breeding areas in southern South America.
In their search for food and nesting, shorebirds are faced with the development of apartment and residential complexes in the coastal zone, a process that has transformed the coastal geography and shorebird habitats. This is especially impactful when it occurs at their stopover sites, where they congregate in large numbers to rest, recover, to continue their exhausting journeys along the Atlantic and Pacific flyways of the Americas.
It is a fact that real estate development along the coasts of the Americas has caused a significant loss of natural and public spaces. Despite this, in some cases, this same development can contribute to better conditions for shorebirds.
Left: Snowy Plover foraging in dunes at Bahía de Todos Santos. Photo: Jonathan Vargas. Right: Sign marking protected areas for nesting Snowy Plovers. Photo courtesy of Terra Peninsular.
In Mexico, Bahía de Todos Santos (northwest corner of the State of Baja California) represents a critical site for the conservation of several migratory species, including the Snowy Plover (Charadrius nivosus), whose population in the area represents 4% of the Pacific population. This species is considered “Threatened” in both Mexico and the United States, and “Near Threatened” globally.
At this WHSRN Site of Regional Importance, the real estate group Pacifica at Ensenada Bay is making a difference with actions to protect Snowy Plover nests on a Federal Maritime-Terrestrial Zone (ZOFEMAT) concessioned to the real estate company. Through collaborative actions carried out with local non-governmental organizations (NGOs), Terra Peninsular A.C., Pro Esteros A.C., Pronatura Noroeste A.C., and with the efforts of the Coastal Solutions Program fellow, Jonathan Vargas, actions have been implemented to monitor the beach, install temporary protection and anti-predation fences, control feral dogs, close unofficial accesses to the beach, and conduct education and citizen science activities. In addition, community beach cleanups, research and permanent monitoring of shorebirds and reproductive success have been carried out, as well as training and involvement of students and community members.
As a result of the implementation of these collaborative actions between Pacifica and local NGOs, the protection of nine hectares of critical nesting habitat for the Snowy Plover has been achieved, where more than 90 nests have been protected with more than 50 successful nests during the breeding seasons of 2019-2023.
American Oystercatcher chicks. Photo: Patricio Ortiz.
Further south in the Americas in the Bay of Coquimbo in Chile, at the end of May 2023 the Serena Golf real estate development group, the Chilean Bird and Wildlife Observers Network (Red de Observadores de Aves y Vida Silvestre de Chile), and REDAVES signed an agreement to protect 111 acres of property owned by the real estate company in the municipality of La Serena, in order to protect the nesting of the American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus), classified as “Near Threatened” in Chile. A two-year pilot scheme for co-management and implementation of best practices in beach and dune areas has been launched. Coastal Solutions Program fellow Sharon Montecino has played a leading role in this process.
Activities will include the implementation of surveys to estimate the local American Oystercatcher population, monitoring of the reproductive activity of the species, installation of temporary fences by volunteers to protect nests in critical areas, restriction of access for pets, and installation of informative signage, among other actions. In addition to the importance of the area for nesting American Oystercatcher, the northern sector of Coquimbo Bay is also an important site for other shorebirds such as Sanderling (Calidris alba) and the Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus), which congregate there in large flocks. It is also home to breeding pairs of the Snowy Plover (Ch. nivosus).
American Oystercatchers. Photos: Diego Luna Quevedo.
Advancing solutions to complex problems affecting coastal areas today requires collaborative and innovative solutions. Conserving shorebirds and their habitats presents the challenge of forging new partnerships to build shared value. That is why Manomet – through the WHSRN Executive Office – has facilitated and accompanied these partnerships with the real estate development sector in Mexico and Chile. Our focus is on generating new forms of collaborative management with the private sector, and on all those opportunities where site-scale management can make a difference in ensuring that shorebirds complete their annual life cycles.
Cover Photo: Two American Oystercatcher chicks. Photo: Patricio Ortiz.
