Arne Lesterhuis, Dutch by nationality, joined the Manomet Shorebird Recovery Program team in June 2016 as a Conservation Specialist. Arne is coordinating the expansion of the International Shorebird Survey in Central and South America and the Caribbean, and providing technical support to the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN) Executive Office.

Arne has been working on bird conservation in the Americas for over 15 years, starting his career as a volunteer working for Guyra Paraguay, when he coordinated a project on Nearctic migrants in Paraguay, thereby triggering his interest in shorebirds. He initially gained experience in the field of bird conservation at a Paraguayan and international level working for Guyra Paraguay, but then for Wetlands International (America’s office) as regional coordinator of the Neotropical Waterbird Census and as Species Officer for the BirdLife International Americas Secretariat.

Shorebirds have been a prominent factor in most of his work. While working for Guyra Paraguay (2000-2008), he coordinated and led the implementation of shorebird research and conservation projects. As a Species Officer for BirdLife International (2009-2015), he supported the development of BirdLife’s Flyways program in the Americas, including the identification of priority species and sites, and led an analysis of candidate WHSRN sites in the Americas. Arne is the lead author/co-author of four Manomet shorebird conservation plans (American Oystercatcher, American Golden Plover, Lesser Yellowlegs, and Wilson’s Phalarope).

Arne has a B.Sc. in Wildlife Management (Van Hall Larenstein, University of Applied Sciences, Holland) and is based in Asuncion, Paraguay.