Natural coastal dunes on Wadden Sea islands as a refuge for an endangered wader species

Abstract

Europe holds globally important populations of breeding waders. However, most of the species are in steep decline, including the Eurasian Curlew (Numenius arquata). Here, we studied the breeding-territory and nest-site preferences of a Curlew subpopulation that has, in contrast to the overall trend, been increasing, on the East Frisian Islands (Wadden Sea National Park of Lower Saxony, N Germany). The islands are mostly free from ground predators and intensive agriculture and thus offer the opportunity to examine habitat preferences in largely undisturbed habitats. Our study revealed that Curlews preferred breeding in habitat mosaics dominated by high marshes and dune grasslands, far from areas with human disturbance. For nest-building, heterogeneous microhabitats with intermediate vegetation cover and height and some bare ground were preferred. This reflects a trade-off between (i) sufficient shelter for nests and fledglings, (ii) early recognition of predators and (iii) readily available and accessible invertebrate prey. Such heterogeneous habitats, without mammalian predators, are largely missing in the intensively used agricultural landscapes of the European mainland. Consequently, Curlew populations on the mainland are mostly declining. In contrast, those on the East-Frisian Islands are stable and, therefore, of prime importance for the protection of the species. Thus, the study highlights the importance of isolated islands providing natural habitats like coastal dunes, which are free from ground predators and extensive human disturbance for the long-term survival of Curlew populations. Based on the results of this study we make suggestions to improve future conservation measures for degraded habitats to boost curlew populations.