Conservation

Birds

Aquatic warbler BAP report

Adult aquatic warbler
The aquatic warbler is a globally threatened species

What are we trying to achieve?

The Government agreed a Biodiversity Action Plan for this species in 1995. The target for this plan is as follows:

  • Ensure all key passage sites are, and remain, protected.

The aquatic warbler is a globally threatened species. It occurs in the UK on passage in small numbers. There is limited scope for conservation action for this species in the UK other than ensuring that the places it uses on passage are adequately protected and suitable habitat is maintained.

What is the RSPB doing to help?

Work prior to 2002 established that there were 11 known passage sites for this species in the UK including four RSPB reserves. Appropriate habitat management has been undertaken at these reserves to try to ensure that they remain suitable for this species. A monitoring programme has been initiated by the RSPB in the south-west region, with the intention of understanding better the numbers using sites each year.

Since 2002, the RSPB has maintained this reserve management effort and also focussed on international work on aquatic warblers including:

  • An instrumental role in setting up and signing the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the conservation of aquatic warbler under the Convention on Migratory Species (Bonn Convention). This came into effect in April 2004 and is now signed by the large majority of range states
  • Funding the position of the Birdlife/CMS International Aquatic Warbler Conservation Officer, whose job is to coordinate the implementation of the MoU and the development of conservation initiatives and projects for aquatic warbler across all range states
  • Securing funding, with APB, the BirdLife partner in Belarus, for management plans for the three most important breeding sites in Belarus (these support more than half of the world population of this species)
  • Serving as a key partner in APB’s project to restore 42,000ha of degraded peatland in 17 sites, 10 of which could in the medium to long term be restored as aquatic warbler breeding sites
  • Funding the inventory and monitoring of the species in the Ukraine.
  • Supporting OTOP-Birdlife Poland to raise funds for the Polish national monitoring scheme for aquatic warbler
  • Utilising a new method of feather analysis to try to identify the species’ wintering grounds, and find a link between the various breeding and wintering populations.
  • Supporting the aquatic warbler web site, this provides both general information and specialised materials for professional ornithologists

Summary of progress

Previous work has highlighted the difficulty of establishing which sites are used by this species in the UK and at what frequency.  The occurrence of this species is so variable from year to year, depending on factors such as the weather, that it is not possible to detect any trends in the numbers at passage sites to date. The key sites remain protected and largely under conservation management.

Prospects for the breeding population in Eastern Europe appear brighter than in recent years thanks to concerted efforts to raise the profile of this species and to manage and restore breeding habitat, particularly in Belarus and Poland.

An expedition team has recently pinpointed the wintering grounds in western Africa. This is a crucial breakthrough for the conservation of aquatic warbler. The team discovered around 5 - 10,000 aquatic warblers in an area of about 100 square kilometres within the Djoudj National Park, north-west Senegal.

Has our work been effective?

At present, it is not possible to assess the effectiveness of our work on the status of this species in the UK. Numbers occurring on passage are very small, and dependent mainly on prevailing winds during August and September.

What work is planned for the next year?

  • Continue with management of RSPB nature reserves to provide suitable habitat at key times of year.
  • Continue monitoring of aquatic warbler numbers on RSPB nature reserves
  • Continue research to identify wintering areas
  • Continue support of overseas initiatives to monitor and protect aquatic warbler populations, especially in eastern Europe
  • Continue to raise awareness of this species through media initiatives e.g. the website www.aquaticwarbler.net 

What are the constraints to achieving the targets fully?

The biggest constraint to carrying out conservation action in the UK for the aquatic warbler is its irregular occurrence as a passage migrant. The factors affecting numbers occurring in the UK include weather conditions, which are outside our control.
Assisting conservation action in the main parts of this species range is likely to be the most effective way of helping this globally threatened bird.

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Natural England for its financial support towards our work aquatic warblers, which forms part of Action for Birds in England, a conservation partnership between NE and the RSPB. This provides the funding for the monitoring programme in the south-west.

Last modified: 29 August 2007

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