Researchers have made some huge insights thanks to a tiny transmitter on a tiny migratory shorebird that was once near extinction.
Last year, the International Conservation Fund of Canada (ICFC) put the world's smallest solar-powered transmitter on a spoon-billed sandpiper named K9 and uncovered new data on the species' breeding habits.
"K9 led us to a newly discovered breeding location and habitat, which could be a game-changer for Spoon-billed Sandpiper (SBS) conservation and research in the breeding grounds," Sayam Chowdhury, co-director of the SBS task force, told Mongabay.
In 2016, the spoon-billed sandpiper was expected to go extinct in the next 10 years, but conservation efforts helped slow the population decline. The species breed in the Russian Far East along coastal tundra and travel 5,000 miles to Myanmar (also known as Burma), Bangladesh, and a few other sites in Southeast Asia, per the National Audubon Society.
With the data from K9's transmitter, scientists can further refine efforts to safeguard their habitats and prevent poaching.
"The hope was that K9's journey would reveal new nesting areas in northeastern Russia, helping efforts to prevent this unique species — with its distinctive spoon-shaped bill — from going extinct," ICFC director of bird conservation Scott Hecker shared on the organization's website.
The protection of the spoon-billed sandpiper will inform efforts to conserve all sorts of migratory birds from shoreline ecosystems. According to the International Conservation Fund (ICF), this makes it an "umbrella species," just like the Northern bald ibis.
"The sandpiper's conservation is not only a strategy for its survival but a powerful catalyst for strengthening biodiversity protection and environmental cooperation across borders in Asia," the ICF said on its website.
Healthy ecosystems support human food supply and ensure clean air and water, and they also improve international economies and support cultural histories, as Conservation International explained.
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Definitely 👍 If we protect animal and plant species — endangered or not — we can help ensure the future of every living being on Earth. The discovery of new spoon-billed sandpiper habitats can make a huge difference in achieving this goal.
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"The entire journey, including the use of stopover sites, highlights the critical importance of protecting key locations, such as those in North Korea," Chowdhury told Mongabay.
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