On May 23, 2021, the Hemispheric Council of the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN) voted unanimously to approve the designation of the Golfo de Nicoya in Costa Rica as a Site of Regional Importance. This new designation adds the 18th country to the Network!
The Golfo de Nicoya is located along the Pacific coast of Costa Rica and is considered the most important area for shorebirds in the country. The gulf is 90 kilometers long and covers just over 60,000 hectares, including about 150 km of coast of which 112 km is covered with mangroves. Its importance to shorebirds is clear with all 44 species of shorebirds recorded in Costa Rica observed in the Gulf of Nicoya. It is especially important during migration as a stopover site.
The site has been designated a WHSRN site of Regional Importance for the presence of more than 1% of the biogeographic populations of the Wilson’s Plover (Charadrius wilsonia), Collared Plover (Ch. collaris), Short-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus), and Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus). It is unclear how many shorebirds pass through during migration, day counts of more than a 1,000 individuals of several species (including species like Western and Semipalmated Sandpiper) make it easy to see that when taking into account the turnover rate, over 20,000 shorebirds use the area during migration.
“Recognizing the Gulf of Nicoya as part of the Network, is a great step to support conservation actions of the site and highlight its importance to shorebirds,” says Luis Sandoval, the president of the Union of Ornithologists of Costa Rica (UOCR by its acronym in Spanish), adding that “it will help promote the economic development of the communities in the Gulf alongside conservation.”
Left: Shorebirds at Golfo de Nicoya, Costa Rica. Right: Monitoring birds. Photos: Union of Ornithologists of Costa Rica.
Golfo de Nicoya falls under the jurisdiction of the National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC) which is an agency of the Ministry of Environment and Energy (MINAE) for the Costa Rican government. Portions of the proposed area are protected by law including two protected wildlife areas (La Ensenada and Estero Puntarenas y Manglares). Local communities use the area predominantly for fishing, and although their resources are often limited, they do intent to focus on sustainable management of aquatic and mangrove resources. Existing management plans also recognize the needs of local communities in the area and focus on ensuring that local livelihoods are balanced with habitat needs.
Main threats for the Gulf include water pollution from human settlements and agriculture. Coastal development is also increasing the removal of mangroves which affects the natural cycles within the Gulf, threatening shorebird habitat, as well the habitat for Mangrove Hummingbird (Amazilia boucardi), a Costa Rican endemic. The “Regional strategy for the management and conservation of mangroves in the Gulf of Nicoya – 2019-2030” is a comprehensive management plan focusing on the entire Gulf of Nicoya to address these issues, and although this strategy focusses mainly on the conservation of the mangrove ecosystem, associated habitats like intertidal flats used by shorebirds will benefit from the developed strategies.
TheUOCR that led the nomination of the site, has been monitoring shorebirds and waterbirds in the Gulf since 2007, including through monitoring programs like the Central American Waterbird Census (CAWC) and the Migratory Shorebird Project (MSP). UOCR’s work resulted in an increased understanding of the importance of the area for shorebirds, including significant counts for several species which triggered the current designation. “We are grateful for all the help of the many volunteers participating in the surveys since 2007” says Luis Sandoval, “without their commitment, this designation would not have been possible”.
Union of Ornithologists of Costa Rica monitoring team. Photo: Union of Ornithologists of Costa Rica
With this designation, Costa Rica becomes the 18th country joining the network and the third WHSRN site in Central America. Congratulations to Union of Ornithologists of Costa Rica for their work on this successful WHSRN nomination, and to the Ministry of Environment and Energy for acknowledging the importance of the area to shorebirds and committing to their conservation.
Please join us in welcoming Golfo de Nicoya and its partners as the 111th site to the Network!
For more information on the Golfo de Nicoya site, contact site partner, Luis Sandoval, the president of the UOCR
The Migratory Shorebird Project is the largest coordinated survey of wintering shorebirds on the Pacific Coast of the Americas. It was initiated in 2011 by Point Blue Conservation Science and is a cooperative effort of conservation science organizations and agencies. Learn more about the Migratory Shorebird Project at www.migratoryshorebirdproject.org.
Cover Photo by courtesy of Union of Ornithologists of Costa Rica
