Protecting Aquatic Warblers: a new wetland site discovered in Senegal
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AWOM
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Biodiversity - Flyways
Several members from the LIFE AWOM project (Aquatic Warblers on the Move) recently came back from a gap-filling survey mission in Senegal, at one of the most important wintering sites for the Aquatic Warbler, a migratory bird that has lost 95% of its population. The team captured the first Aquatic Warbler ever despite – previous expeditions – in the Ndiael Nature Reserve. This is of outmost importance for our project, signing the first detection of the species in this site!
The discovery a new wetland site for the Aquatic Warbler multiplies the conservation possibilities for a species classified as Endangered in Europe and Vulnerable globally. The team from the gap-filling survey expedition in Senegal was
The Aquatic Warbler has lost 95% of its global population in just a century. It is the most endangered passerine bird in Continental Europe, but now has another chance of survival. The work done by this international scientific expedition- has confirmed the bird’s presence for the first time in the Ndiael Nature Reserve in Senegal, thus expanding the list of known refuges along its migratory route.
This is a historical step: until now, all known staging sites for the Aquatic Warbler in Senegal were concentrated in a single enclave, the Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary. This new wetland, located 40 kilometres away from this area, greatly increases the chances of conserving this species. The ringing team also recorded six Aquatic Warblers in the Djoudj National Park – an area known to be a wintering habitat for this species.
These expeditions are essential to helping us locate and monitor areas where this critically vulnerable species may still be present, and to share knowledge with local ringers. The Aquatic Warbler is an extraordinary migratory bird, weighing approximately 14 grams (the equivalent of a tea-spoon) and flying every more than 6,000 kilometres from Eastern Europe to West-Africa twice a year. Its presence has been recorded in nine African countries during its migratory journeys. Most of the species records done during the wintering period, December and January, are concentrated solely in the Niger River delta in Mali and in the Djoudj National Park in Senegal.
“Locating new wintering wetlands is crucial for the survival of the species, as they are the basis of the Aquatic Warbler’s diet, says David Miguélez, wetland specialist at Fundación Global Nature. One of the main problems detected in this region is the rapid expansion of rice cultivation around the wetlands. We are in a race against time. Rice crops are rapidly encroaching on these wetlands, diverting water, contaminating with pesticides and destroying the invertebrates that the aquatic warbler feeds on. This discovery allows us to act before it is too late: we will strengthen surveillance, improve water management and halt habitat degradation in this new site.“
LIFE AWOM, an international alliance
This discovery was made during a field expedition involving Fundación Global Nature, Fundación Migres, the Doñana Biological Station (CSIC), the Catalan Institute of Ornithology, the Acrola Association and Wetlands International Africa. This mission is part of the LIFE AWOM project, which is coordinated by Wetlands International Europe and brings together 14 organisations from Europe and Africa, aiming to restore up to 20 wetlands sites where the Aquatic Warbler stays to rest and feed during its migration.
Alongside the project, “LIFE4AquaticWarbler“, which focuses on the breeding countries, these two projects form the largest coordinated effort ever undertaken for the conservation of the Aquatic Warbler.
