Climate Change Induced Alterations in Migration Patterns and Breeding Success of Coastal Shorebirds in Mangrove Ecosystems

Abstract

The alteration in migration patterns and breeding success of coastal shorebirds in the mangrove ecosystem is caused by climate change. Coastal ecosystems, including mangrove habitats, are being affected by climate change, and are important stopover and breeding sites for shorebirds. This research will examine how climate changes affect the migration and breeding success of coastal shorebirds in five major mangrove habitats in Kuwait, India, Thailand and Australia. Satellite and GPS tagging, leg banding and systematic field surveys were used to monitor migration, and monitoring of nests, clutch size and fledgling survival were used to provide estimates of breeding success. Environmental data such as temperatures, rainfall, tides and local sea-level rise were collected to assess their effects on the ecology of birds. Results show that there were large changes in migration timing, moving earlier and changing stopover frequency, and within site variation in nest success (56–79%) and fledgling rate (0.76–1.34 chicks/nest). The statistical analysis showed high correlations between increased temperatures and sea-level anomalies, and reduced nest success, and between rainfall patterns and stopover duration. The results of these studies demonstrate that coastal shorebirds are sensitive to changes in their habitat due to climate change, and the need to incorporate environmental monitoring into species conservation planning. Conservation learnings involve the identification of key stopover areas, mangrove restoration and the creation of protected areas that are climate resilient. The study, however, has some limitations such as number of samples, temporal coverage, and tracking resolution, and long-term monitoring and predictive modeling is needed. It offers concrete information to inform evidence-based conservation planning, to assure the survival of shorebird populations and the integrity of mangrove habitats in the face of current climate change.