Mapped distribution of intertidal habitats in Australia between 1999 and 2014, link to data in ArcGIS format (29 MB)

Shorebirds have declined severely across the East Asian-Australasian Flyway. Many species rely on intertidal habitats for foraging, yet the distribution and conservation status of these habitats across Australia remain poorly understood. Here, we utilised freely available satellite imagery to produce the first map of intertidal habitats across Australia. We estimated a minimum intertidal area of 9856 km**2, with Queensland and Western Australia supporting the largest areas. Thirty-nine percent of intertidal habitats were protected in Australia, with some primarily within marine protected areas (e.g. Queensland) and others within terrestrial protected areas (e.g. Victoria). In fact, three percent of all intertidal habitats were protected both by both marine and terrestrial protected areas. To achieve conservation targets, protected area boundaries must align more accurately with intertidal habitats. Shorebirds use intertidal areas to forage and supratidal areas to roost, so a coordinated management approach is required to account for movement of birds between terrestrial and marine habitats. Ultimately, shorebird declines are occurring despite high levels of habitat protection in Australia. There is a need for a concerted effort both nationally and internationally to map and understand how intertidal habitats are changing, and how habitat conservation can be implemented more effectively.东亚-澳大利西亚迁飞区（East Asian-Australasian Flyway）内的鸻鹬类种群已出现严重下降。多数鸻鹬类物种依赖潮间带栖息地（intertidal habitats）觅食，但澳大利亚境内此类栖息地的分布与保护现状仍不甚明晰。本研究借助公开可获取的卫星影像，绘制了澳大利亚境内首幅潮间带栖息地分布图。经估算，澳大利亚潮间带栖息地最小总面积达9856平方千米，其中昆士兰州与西澳大利亚州的潮间带面积最为广阔。澳大利亚境内39%的潮间带栖息地已纳入保护范畴，部分保护地主要为海洋保护区（marine protected areas，如昆士兰州），其余则多划入陆地保护区（terrestrial protected areas，如维多利亚州）。事实上，另有3%的潮间带栖息地同时受海洋与陆地保护区双重保护。若要达成既定保护目标，保护区边界需更精准地与潮间带栖息地范围相匹配。鸻鹬类以潮间带区域为觅食场所，以潮上带区域（supratidal areas）为休憩栖息地，因此需采取协同管理方案，兼顾鸟类在海陆生境间的移动规律。尽管澳大利亚的栖息地保护水平较高，鸻鹬类种群仍出现了下降。当前亟需在国家与国际层面开展协同工作，以绘制并追踪潮间带栖息地的变化趋势，同时探索更高效的栖息地保护实施路径。