Filling knowledge gaps in a threatened shorebird flyway through satellite tracking

1. Satellite-based technologies that track individual animal movements enable the mapping of their spatial and temporal patterns of occurrence. This is particularly useful in poorly studied or remote regions where there is a need for the rapid gathering of relevant ecological knowledge to inform management actions. One such region is East Asia, where many intertidal habitats are being degraded at unprecedented rates and shorebird populations relying on these habitats show rapid declines. 2. We examine the utility of satellite tracking to accelerate the identification of coastal sites of conservation importance in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway. In 2015–2017 we used solar-powered satellite transmitters to track the migration of 32 great knots (Calidris tenuirostris), an ‘Endangered’ shorebird species widely distributed in the Flyway and fully dependent on intertidal habitats for foraging during the non-breeding season. 3. From the great knot tracks, a total of 92 stopping sites along...