Four New WHSRN Sites Designated

At the annual WHSRN Hemispheric Council meeting held this month in Panama (see related article in this issue), the Council approved the nominations of four new WHSRN sites—including the first one in the Caribbean region. We enthusiastically welcome all four sites and the many partners supporting them. Their designations expand the Network to a total of 81 sites in 12 countries and more than 29.5 million acres (12 million hectares) of shorebird habitat. Below are brief descriptions and the locations of each site, from north to south. These four new sites are also featured on the “Selected Sites” map on our homepage.

Puerto Rico: Cabo Rojo Salt Flats  
Cabo Rojo Salt Flats is the first WHSRN site in the Caribbean! This 505-hectare (1,249-acre) site is an area of saline lagoons, salt flats, and mangrove swamps within the Cabo Rojo National Wildlife Refuge in southwest Puerto Rico. The refuge is owned, protected, and managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The Puerto Rican Ornithological Society (SOPI, by its Spanish acronym) nominated the site with the Service’s support and is an active partner in bird conservation at the refuge. The salt flats section of the refuge qualifies as a WHSRN Site of Regional Importance for supporting 5.3% (80 individuals) of the world population of the tenuirostris subspecies of Snowy Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus) and 2.5% (151 individuals) of the world population of Wilson’s Plover (C. wilsonia). This site, which is also an Important Bird Area, hosts a total of 28 shorebird species.

Mexico: Lago de Cuitzeo
The 44,000-hectare (109,000-acre) Lago de Cuitzeo is located in central Mexico, in the State of Michoacán and in part of the adjacent State of Guanajuato. The Mexican Network of Rural Forestry Organizations (Red MOCAF in Spanish) nominated the site with the support of the National Commission of Protected Natural Areas (CONANP, by its Spanish acronym), which owns and manages this federally protected lake. Lago de Cuitzeo supports 21,500 shorebirds representing 20 species, including 1.5% of the world population of Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus), qualifying it as a WHSRN Site of Regional Importance. Other species recorded in high numbers at the lake include American Avocet (Recurvirostra americana), Wilson’s Phalarope (Phalaropus tricolor), and Snowy Plover (Charadrius alexandrines).

Peru: Manglares de San Pedro de Vice
The 3,013-hectare (7,300-acre) Manglares [Mangroves] de San Pedro de Vice are located on the northern coast of Peru, in the Municipality of Vice. The mayor of Vice and the Neotropical Wetland Training Center of Peru nominated the mangroves as a WHSRN Site of Regional Importance, with the support of the federal Ministry of Environment and the regional Government of Piura. The site supports more than 1% of the world population of Sanderling, (Calidris alba) as well as 23 other shorebird species, including American Oystercatcher, (Haematopus palliatus), American Golden-Plover (Pluvialis dominica), Snowy Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus), Wilson’s Plover(Ch. wilsonia), Hudsonian Godwit (Limosa haemastica), Whimbrel, (Numenius phaeopus), Red Knot (Calidris canutus), Western Sandpiper (Calidris mauri),and Semipalmated Sandpiper (C. pusilla). The Manglares de San Pedro de Vice site was also designated a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance.

The partners’ press release is available (PDF, in Spanish) in the WHSRN Press Room.

Chile: Humedal del Río Lluta
The 31-hectare (76-acre) Humedal del Río Lluta [Lluta River Wetland] in northernmost Chile is a Municipal Natural Reserve as well as a federal Natural Sanctuary. Located in one of the most arid regions of the country, this wetland is an important resource to 130 bird species. The Technological University of Chile nominated the wetland as a WHSRN Site of Regional Importance, with the support of the mayor of the Municipality of Arica. The site hosts more than 20,000 shorebirds, including 1.4% of the Sanderling (Calidris alba) and 1.8% of the Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus) populations wintering in the area. The site also hosts two South American endemic shorebird species: Peruvian Thick-knee (Burhinus superciliaris) and White-backed Stilt (Himantopus melanurus).

The partners’ press release is available (PDF, in Spanish) in the WHSRN Press Room.