{"id":50211,"date":"2026-01-08T15:08:23","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T13:08:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/milvus.ro\/six-decades-of-international-waterbird-census\/"},"modified":"2026-01-08T15:52:03","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T13:52:03","slug":"six-decades-of-international-waterbird-census","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/milvus.ro\/en\/six-decades-of-international-waterbird-census\/","title":{"rendered":"Six decades of International Waterbird Census"},"content":{"rendered":"

At this time of year, many waterbird species<\/strong> gather in large numbers at wetlands, offering an excellent opportunity to monitor population sizes, trends and changes in their distribution, as well as to identify key sites for their conservation.<\/span><\/p>

In a rapidly changing world, monitoring waterbirds<\/strong> helps us understand the health of wetlands and the species that depend on them, and enables informed action for their sustainable management. Over the past 60 years<\/strong>, the International Waterbird Census (Midwinter Count)<\/strong> has grown into one of the world\u2019s largest and longest-running biodiversity monitoring programmes.<\/span><\/p>

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Photo: Steeve Mathieu – GEPOMAY, Igor Tupitsyn, Laban Kayitete, F. Sibomana, Richard Kipngeno, Mohamed Elmekki Ali Elbadawi Hussien, Mohamed Abd El Hafeez, Mamikon Ghasabyan<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>

For six decades, during a fixed period in January, scientists and volunteers equipped with telescopes and binoculars have headed out to wetlands in their regions \u2014 from the frozen lakes of Europe and the warm coastlines of the Caribbean to the mudflats of Asia and the tropical estuaries of Africa. Coordinated internationally by <\/span>Wetlands International<\/a><\/strong>,<\/strong> the census brings together tens of thousands of participants who collect data from 189 countries and territories<\/strong>, monitoring more than 57,000 wetlands<\/strong> worldwide.<\/span><\/p>

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Designed to estimate waterbird population sizes and trends<\/strong>, identify<\/strong> and monitor priority wetlands<\/strong> for these species, and support wetland protection and management<\/strong>, the census has contributed to remarkable conservation achievements, including:<\/span><\/p>