Date

The announcement below describes the planned establishment of a
circumpolar "Pan-Arctic Wader Research Network" under the auspices
of CAFF (Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna), a working group
of the Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy of the Arctic nations.

For more information on the upcoming survey of current arctic wader
long-term research and monitoring, please contact either:

Dr. Elin Pierce in Tromsø, Norway
elin.pierce [at] npolar.no

Dr. Hans Meltofte in Copenhagen, Denmark
mel [at] dmu.dk


SURVEY of current arctic wader long-term research/monitoring

The group CAFF (Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna), under the
Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy of the Arctic nations, aims to
establish a circumpolar "Pan-Arctic Wader Research Network." This
network will be made up of scientists and/or scientific programs that
are currently involved in the research or monitoring of one or more
arctic wader species, particularly long-term studies which collect data
that can be used to investigate the effects of climate change on
population dynamics, distribution, breeding phenology, or any other
aspect of wader ecology.

Dr. Hans Meltofte and I (Elin Pierce) have been asked to organize this
research network by conducting a survey of interested wader researchers
who have either ongoing arctic wader studies, or have access
to/responsibility for relevant existing databases, and to establish
contact with relevant ongoing research programs. This will be done in
conjunction with the program "Arctic birds: an international breeding
conditions survey" run by Mikhail Soloviev for the Wader Study Group and
the Goose Specialist Group of Wetlands International.

We would like to bring together researchers and programs that involve
long-term or multi-year monitoring; i.e., over 5 years or more,
collecting data such as (examples only):

  • Dates of arrival in the Arctic
  • Population size in fixed census areas
  • First egg dates
  • Clutch size
  • Egg dimensions
  • Predation rate
  • Hatching success
  • Chick growth
  • Chick survival
  • Fledging success
  • Juvenile production
  • Juvenile ratios in staging and wintering areas

The data collected by the researchers included in this network can, but
need not, be restricted to one or more of the aspects in the above list.
Researchers with projects or programs involving these types of data, and
other researchers collecting data on other aspects of arctic wader
biology, such as site fidelity, distribution, etc., are kindly
encouraged to contact us at the addresses below. Please explain which
type(s) of data you collect, the study species, geographical study area,
and the time frame of your project. By establishing such a network, we
hope to:

1) investigate the possibilities of synthesising data collected on
shorebirds during past and present long-term studies conducted by
various researchers throughout the Arctic, attempt to relate these data
to global climate changes, and collectively publish the results
internationally;

2) design and implement a common, long-term, pan-Arctic shorebird
monitoring program to collect data on population and breeding biology
variables and relate these to trends in climatic, entomological, and
hydrological variables. The program should have a uniform research
design and methods, and one or more designated responsible scientists
for each Arctic area (country) represented;

3) define common future priorities in terms of research and publishing
results, and investigate possibilities for international collaborative
grant proposals for project funding;

4) establish strong international collaboration between scientists from
institutions world-wide who conduct, or plan to conduct, research on
breeding arctic shorebirds, by creating a project web site and
subscriber e-mail bulletin; and

5) organise international workshops.

We hope to hear from as many of you as possible; any kind of input will be
greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

Dr. Elin Pierce
c/o Norwegian Polar Institute
Polar Environmental Centre
N-9296 Tromsø, NORWAY
elin.pierce [at] npolar.no (Elin Pierce)

Dr. Hans Meltofte
National Environmental Research Institute
Department of Arctic Environment
Tagensvej 135, 4th floor
DK-2200 Copenhagen N, DENMARK
mel [at] dmu.dk