International guidelines for monitoring breeding populations and levels of reproduction in the Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata

The Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata is a species of global conservation concern. It is classified as globally Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List and several important breeding populations continue to decline. In 2015, an international conservation plan for the species was produced under the framework of the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA). These guidelines have been produced to help support the implementation of the AEWA plan and seek to encourage, support and expand the monitoring of breeding populations of Eurasian Curlew across the breeding range. It has been written by a group of researchers from several countries, whom between them, have combined experience ‘in the field’ spanning several decades. The introductory chapter covers a range of topics including survey design, monitoring programmes in general, the focal species, its breeding ecology and processing results. The second chapter covers methodologies for surveying population size, including point counts, area searches and territory mapping. The third and final chapter addresses population-level reproduction and describes methodologies based on nests (e.g. clutch size and hatching success) and post-hatching survival. The guidelines also contain descriptions of field techniques and equipment to aid surveys and throughout the guidelines are a range of helpful pictures from active research and conservation projects from across the breeding range. The ultimate goal of the guidelines is to improve the evidence base for assessing the conservation status of the species and the three recognised subspecies. For this, survey data from less well-studied parts of the breeding range, e.g. Eastern Europe including Russia, are in high demand.