Abstract
The aim of this study was to present the first detailed analysis of long-term population estimates and trends of waterbirds wintering at Messolonghi lagoons, one of the largest Greek wetlands, during 1982 to 2012, using TrendSpotter software. The wetland supported on average 63,054 ± 22,241 (SD) birds (range 29,630 to 109,795), with waterfowl and their allies being the most abundant group, by both species and numbers. Over 70% of the 28 most abundant species (19 waterfowl, 9 waders) were increasing (14 waterfowl, 6 waders), 4 waterfowl were decreasing, 3 species remained stable (1 waterfowl, 2 waders) and 1 wader could not be assessed. In total, waterfowl increased by 2%, waders increased by 4% and the overall species assemblage increased by 2.2% over the 31-year period. The wetland is of international importance for waterbirds in general and for Eurasian wigeon Anas penelope and Kentish plover Charadrius alexandrinus specifically. In addition, 7 other species (6 waterfowl, 1 wader) currently exceed the 1% flyway population threshold and could also be considered as of international importance in the future. Long-term increases in the numbers of most waterbirds were detected, and internationally important populations were identified, thus highlighting Messolonghi lagoons' increasing significance for wintering waterbirds over the past 31 years. Piscivores (i.e. pelicans, cormorants, herons and egrets), flamingos and small waders showed the strongest increases in numbers. In contrast, common pochard Aythya ferina and tufted duck Aythya fuligula showed the greatest declines. In most species, population trends followed those occurring at the flyway level, suggesting that regional or international rather than local factors may be mainly responsible.
Highlights
The aim of this study was to present the first detailed analysis of long-term population estimates and trends of waterbirds wintering at Messolonghi lagoons, one of the largest Greek wetlands, during 1982 to 2012, using TrendSpotter software
In the northern hemisphere, wintering waterbird populations are monitored by the International Waterbird Census (IWC) carried out under the auspices of Wetlands International (Rose and Scott 1997)
Population trends The analysis of long-term population trends for the 28 most numerous wintering waterbird species at Messolonghi showed that 20 (14 waterfowl, 6 waders) were increasing and only 4 were decreasing (Table 2, Figure 2)
Summary
The aim of this study was to present the first detailed analysis of long-term population estimates and trends of waterbirds wintering at Messolonghi lagoons, one of the largest Greek wetlands, during 1982 to 2012, using TrendSpotter software. Waterbirds are a large and diverse group of birds which are ecologically dependent on aquatic habitats. In the northern hemisphere, wintering waterbird populations are monitored by the International Waterbird Census (IWC) carried out under the auspices of Wetlands International (Rose and Scott 1997). These counts have suggested significant population trends (either increases or decreases) for almost half of all wintering waterbird populations in Europe (48%), while the remaining are considered as stable or with uncertain trends (Wetlands International 2013). Several analyses of long-term trends of wintering waterbirds have been carried out in Europe, at a national, regional or site-specific level (e.g. Laursen and Frikke 2006; Crowe et al 2008; Maclean et al 2008; Nilsson 2008; Fouque et al 2009; Musil et al 2011)
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