Unraveling the Decline

Abstract

Shorebirds, or Waders, are called sentinels of global environmental change. Many of these species breed in the arctic and subarctic and migrate back to tropical and temperate regions in their non-breeding seasons. Presently, more than half of shorebird populations with documented trends are in decline and migratory species are more inclined to be impacted. The extent and taxonomic range of the shorebird populations' decreases, along with facts showing that the Arctic is experiencing a higher rate of temperature rise than the rest of the world, indicate global warming as the probable cause of these declines. Primary factors responsible for their decline are degraded habitat quality, which has been influenced by anthropogenic activities and climate change. This highlights the necessity to pinpoint the drives of challenges in order to implement successful conservation measures. In this chapter, the authors aimed to understand the perspective on how and where the habitats of shorebirds are changing and factors responsible for their declines.