Western Palearctic and South West Asia Waterfowl Census 1993 Mid-winter Waterfowl Counts, 1993

About this book

From the introduction:

"The International Waterfowl Census (IWC) is a monitoring scheme for wintering waterbirds that was initiated by the International Waterfowl and Wetlands Research Bureau (IWRB) in 1967. It extends over Europe, Asia, Australasia, large parts of Africa and the Neotropics. In the Neotropics coordination is undertaken by Wetlands for the Americas (WA), and in Asia (East of Iran and the Aral Sea) by the Asian Wetland Bureau (AWB). Traditionally, the census was restricted to Anatidae and Fulica atra, but in the mid-1980s, as new continents became involved, all wetland dependant families of birds (waterbirds) were included.

The aim of the IWC is to provide information on the size and status of waterbird flyways, through the estimation of population size and analysis of population trends. This information is made available in special publications, annual reports, workshops and conferences, for use by decision-makers in designating wetlands to the Ramsar Convention, protecting threatened or vulnerable species and assessing wetland values. Many waterbird species are also hunted, so the information has additional use m helping to assess hunting impact, and for defining sustainable hunting strategies.

The 1993 report is the second annual repeat for the IWC in the Western Palearctic. Similar reports are produced annually for Africa (by IWRB), for the Neotropics (by WA) and for Asia/Pacific (by AWB). The Western Palearctic report continues to be in a phase of major development and transition due to important improvements in the coordination of the census, as well as new demands for results."

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