6 thoughts on “Large-billed Reed-warbler (Acrocephalus orinus): Revise global status?”
The following communication just (1 Feb 2022) received from Stephane Ostrowski:
Dear Lars :
Thank you for reaching out.
You are correct it will not be possible to organize a field assessment of the large-billed Reed Warbler in Afghanistan in 2022. However, this species currently faces no threat of harvesting in its recognized breeding area in Afghanistan. The species favored riparian habitats have not suffered significant degradation in the Wakhan District for the past five years. Also, in 2021 WCS has afforested a total of 260 ha with assemblages of poplar, willow and sea buckthorn trees and scrubs. These afforestation plots were established along water courses. It is hoped that they will increase in plant diversity and play the role of foundations for future riparian ecosystems. WCS expects to continue afforestation effort in 2022 in Wakhan, Ishkeshim and Zebak districts encompassing the currently known breeding area for the species in Afghanistan.
My understanding is that riparian habitat on the Tajik side of Wakhan has remained stable in 2021.
Surveys in spring 2021 in Panjshir Province have pointed that the area is a significant hotspot for bird harvesting for meat and live trade. All species are targeted including passerines, although waterfowls and cranes seem to be most favored.
Same with most open-country species, reedbeds in Thailand where this species has been recorded multiple times are largely unprotected and have been lost as a result of the revised property tax law enacted in the last decade that encourages the conversion of abandoned patches to other land-use types. My view is that listing it as Least Concern is somewhat premature for the aforementioned reasons.
Moreover, very little is known about this species during non-breeding quarters. It appears to be genuinely scarce in Thailand despite good coverage in the sites with previous records.
Many thanks to everyone who has contributed to this discussion. We greatly appreciate the time and effort invested by so many people in commenting. The window for consultation is now closed and we are unable to accept any more comments until 21 February 2022. We will now analyse and interpret the new information, and we will post a preliminary decision on this species’s Red List status on this page on 21 February 2022, when discussions will re-open.
Based on available information, our preliminary proposal for the 2022.1 Red List would be to adopt the proposed classifications outlined in the initial forum discussion.
There is now a period for further comments until the final deadline on 27 February 2022, after which the recommended categorisations will be put forward to IUCN.
The final 2022.1 Red List categories will be published on the BirdLife and IUCN websites in July 2022, following further checking of information relevant to the assessments by both BirdLife and IUCN.
Many thanks to everyone who has contributed to this discussion. We greatly appreciate the time and effort invested by so many people in commenting. The window for consultation is now closed and we are unable to accept any more comments. We will analyse and interpret the new information, and we will post a final decision on this species’ Red List status on this page on 7 March 2022.
Recommended categorisation to be put forward to IUCN
The final categorisation for this species has not changed, but the account for this species has been updated to incorporate additional information from this discussion. Large-billed Reed-warbler is recommended to be listed as Least Concern.
Many thanks for everyone who contributed to the 2022.1 GTB Forum process. The final 2022.1 Red List categories will be published on the BirdLife and IUCN websites in July 2022, following further checking of information relevant to the assessments by both BirdLife and IUCN.
The following communication just (1 Feb 2022) received from Stephane Ostrowski:
Dear Lars :
Thank you for reaching out.
You are correct it will not be possible to organize a field assessment of the large-billed Reed Warbler in Afghanistan in 2022. However, this species currently faces no threat of harvesting in its recognized breeding area in Afghanistan. The species favored riparian habitats have not suffered significant degradation in the Wakhan District for the past five years. Also, in 2021 WCS has afforested a total of 260 ha with assemblages of poplar, willow and sea buckthorn trees and scrubs. These afforestation plots were established along water courses. It is hoped that they will increase in plant diversity and play the role of foundations for future riparian ecosystems. WCS expects to continue afforestation effort in 2022 in Wakhan, Ishkeshim and Zebak districts encompassing the currently known breeding area for the species in Afghanistan.
My understanding is that riparian habitat on the Tajik side of Wakhan has remained stable in 2021.
Surveys in spring 2021 in Panjshir Province have pointed that the area is a significant hotspot for bird harvesting for meat and live trade. All species are targeted including passerines, although waterfowls and cranes seem to be most favored.
Best regards,
Stephane
Same with most open-country species, reedbeds in Thailand where this species has been recorded multiple times are largely unprotected and have been lost as a result of the revised property tax law enacted in the last decade that encourages the conversion of abandoned patches to other land-use types. My view is that listing it as Least Concern is somewhat premature for the aforementioned reasons.
Moreover, very little is known about this species during non-breeding quarters. It appears to be genuinely scarce in Thailand despite good coverage in the sites with previous records.
Many thanks to everyone who has contributed to this discussion. We greatly appreciate the time and effort invested by so many people in commenting. The window for consultation is now closed and we are unable to accept any more comments until 21 February 2022. We will now analyse and interpret the new information, and we will post a preliminary decision on this species’s Red List status on this page on 21 February 2022, when discussions will re-open.
Preliminary proposal
Based on available information, our preliminary proposal for the 2022.1 Red List would be to adopt the proposed classifications outlined in the initial forum discussion.
There is now a period for further comments until the final deadline on 27 February 2022, after which the recommended categorisations will be put forward to IUCN.
The final 2022.1 Red List categories will be published on the BirdLife and IUCN websites in July 2022, following further checking of information relevant to the assessments by both BirdLife and IUCN.
Many thanks to everyone who has contributed to this discussion. We greatly appreciate the time and effort invested by so many people in commenting. The window for consultation is now closed and we are unable to accept any more comments. We will analyse and interpret the new information, and we will post a final decision on this species’ Red List status on this page on 7 March 2022.
Recommended categorisation to be put forward to IUCN
The final categorisation for this species has not changed, but the account for this species has been updated to incorporate additional information from this discussion. Large-billed Reed-warbler is recommended to be listed as Least Concern.
Many thanks for everyone who contributed to the 2022.1 GTB Forum process. The final 2022.1 Red List categories will be published on the BirdLife and IUCN websites in July 2022, following further checking of information relevant to the assessments by both BirdLife and IUCN.