Cécile PATRELLE and
Eric COQUATRIX
Le Bureau d’Etudes des usagers de la nature
Presentation of the French
National Management Plan for
Eurasian Curlew
(Numenius arquata arquata)
2015-2020
Presentation of the French
National Management Plan for
Eurasian Curlew
(Numenius arquata arquata)
2015-2020
Eurasian curlew
Polytypic species: 3 sub-species
Numenius arquata arquata
Numenius arquata orientalis
Numenius arquata suschkini
Migratory species using diverse
habitats and moving a lot
througthout its range
Morphology
Larger wader of its gender
55 to 60 cm length,
90 to 106 cm of wingspan
No sexual dimorphism
Very long down curved bill
9 to 15 cm
© Andreas Trepte
© Dominique_Gest_photothèque_FNC
June to febrary (Outside of the breeding season)
Frequents a variety of coastal and inland habitats
Coast: Large estuarine mudflats with sandflats, rocky and sandy
beaches with pools, mangroves, saltmarshes, coastal meadows and
the muddy shores of coastal lagoons (Johnsgard 1981, Snow & Perrins 1998).
Inland: Large wetland and lakes. Birds are not territorial and
frequently feed in flocks, enabling less time looking for predators (Cotter 1990).
Habitat selection
and useMigration & Winter
Breeding
Typically in ‘open’ landscapes away from woodland, although patchy low-
lying shrub and tall herbage are tolerated (Boschert 2001, Cramp & Simmons 1983).
Common features :
the availability of wet features,
a suitably long sward structure for nesting
and good visibility (Berg 1992a, Valkama et al. 1998).
Habitat
selection
Meadows, moorland, peat-bogs, heathlands, fens, acid grassland
and steppe
Breeding
Between febrary and june
They mostly breed in solitary territorial pairs (Johnsgard 1981)
Nests built around march
is a shallow scrape on the ground,
or on a hummock if on wet ground (Flint et al. 1984).
Clutch laying in marsh-april: 3-5 eggs
Incubation 28-30 days
Replacement clutches only when nest
failure occurs early (Valkama & Currie 1999).
© lekermeur
Habitat
use
Behavior
Phylopatric
Adults and first winter birds show a high degree of site fidelity to
their wintering sites both within and between years.
Return at the same estuary (Bainbridge & Minton 1978, Taylor & Dodd 2013)
Exhibit a high degree of breeding site fidelity,
rarely nesting more than 250 m from previous nesting attempts. (Kipp 1982,
Valkama et al.1998)
Very suspicious and fierce on its wintering sites (Davidson & Rothwell 1993)
Have the leakage distance among the highest in case of human
disturbance (Smit & Visser 1993).
Population size
N. a. arquata wintering population is estimated to 700,000-
1,000,000 individuals according Wetlands International (Thorup 2006,
BirdLife International 2004).
Wintering
population
Winter
(Fouquet 2013) p28
In France: 4% of NW population
23 000 individuals in average (Wetlands International: from
20 000 to 52 000 individuals) (Mahéo 1978-2011, Gillier et al. 2000,
Mahéo & Triplet 2001)
Stable, slightly increasing (Mahéo 2015)
Population size
Declines in breeding populations have been recorded or suspected across
much of the breeding range. (Thorup 2006, BirdLife International 2004).
Breeding
population
Breeding
(Fouquet 2013) p15
In France: 1 300 to 1 600 pairs
Decreasing of 25% the last 15 years(Issa et al. 2012; Issa & Muller 2015)
Threats
Lost and degradation of habitats (agriculture, urbanization)
Especially in breeding habitats
Predation
Main cause for nest lost
Main cause for
chicken mortality
Disturbance due to human activities (agriculture, tourism, aquatic sport, etc…)
Pollution
…
Ireland: 85 à 97% (Grant et al. 1999)Germany: 52 to 66 % (Boschert 2004, 2005; Natalie Busch, pers. comm.)Finland: 68 % lost, among 81% due to predation (Valkama & Currie’s 1999) Sweden: 43% (Berg 1992a)
Ireland: 62 à 80 % de mortalité, dont 74% du à la prédation (Grant et al. 1999)Finland: 64% in fragmented habitats
only 5% in continus habitats (Valkama & Currie’s 1999)
Predation is related to habitat quality
(Taylor & Dodd 2013, Flamant et al. 2005)
operations such as ploughing, harrowing, sowing, could all destroy nestsrolling and cutting : nest destruction and chick mortality,
trampling nest by livestock.
Fox Badger Crow Wild boar Raccoon dog
Status and Legislation
IUCN Red List:
Nearly Threat (NT) for IUCN World (2015)
Declines have been recorded in several key populations and overall a moderately rapid
global decline is estimated.
Vulnerable (VU) for UICN France (2011)
Decline of the breeding populations is suspected
Protection:
Listed on Annex II/2 of the EU Birds Directive as a species for which
hunting can be permitted in France, Denmark, Ireland and UK.
Now: Protected species in some European countries (Germany, UK, Ireland,
Finland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Poland)
With conservation measures in Netherland
Not a quarry species in Estonia, Portugal
Game species in Russia, France
Hunting ban (moratorium):- since 2008 (Jully 30) in all the territory
- since 2012 in terrestrial sites (hunting only in Maritime Public Domain (DPM)
Moratorium is prohibiting the taking of Curlew at terrestrial sites
The open season runs from the first Saturday in August until the end of January
Policies
Management Plan in EU 2007-2009
LIFE program in Germany (meadow birds LIFE) concerning 6 bird
species, including Eurasian curlew (2011-2020)
International Single Species Action Plan for the Conservation of
the Eurasian curlew (ISSAP)
National Management Plan in France (2015-2020)
French National Management
Plan
In this global context, french Gouvernment order a National Management Plan (NMP) to the French Game and Wildlife
Agency (ONCFS)
First part of NMP was published in 2013 (Michel FOUQUET)
In 2015, french Gouvernment order the application of this NMP
Second part of the document: redaction of the Operational Chapter basedon actions previously recommanded, and describing actions in details(action sheets)
This NMP runs since the end of 2015 until 2020
The leader is the Regional Direction of the Environment of Normandie
(DREAL Normandie)
The Manager is the Regional Hunting Federation of Normandie (FRC
Normandie)
+ with the assitance of the Compagny « NaturAgora Développement »
Le Bureau d’Etudes des usagers de la nature
The Operational Chapter
A redaction commeety was constituted
Specialists of Eurasian curlew and wader
Or specialists of its habitats managment
BOCHER Pierrick (University of La Rochelle, LIENSs)
BOOS Mathieu (Institut Scientifique du Nord-Est Atlantique ISNEA)
CAILLOT Emmanuel (RNF)
COMOLET-TIRMAN Jacques (MNHN)
CORNUAILLE Jean-François (ONCFS)
FARAU Sébastien (FDC 85 – Coordinateur du PNG Barge à queue noire)
GUERY Michel (DREAL Normandie - Pilote)
LANCIEN Bruno (ANCGE)
ROBIN Frédéric (LPO France)
TRIPLET Patrick (Syndicat Mixte Baie de Somme)
TROLLIET Bertrand (ONCFS)
Rédacteurs : PATRELLE Cécile (NaturAgora Développement - Co-Manager of the NMP),
COQUATRIX Eric (FRC Normandie – Manager of the NMP),
DUMEIGE Bruno (DREAL Normandie – Leader of the NMP).
From divers
structures
Union Nationale des Fédérations
Côtières de chasse
Aims of the NMP
To improve the Conservation Status of the Eurasian curlew in
France
Strengthen knowledge of the species and its habitats to better
understand its ecological requirements.
More information for an Adaptive management of Eurasian curlew
Take measures to improve the productivity of the species
Ensure to have enough suitable sites
Apply managment of curlew habitats specific to the species
© Dominique_Gest_photothèque_FNC
5 Objectives composed of 15
actions
Objective 1: Knowledge
Action 1.1: Cartography of curlew sites
Action 1.2: Counting wintering and migrating populations
Action 1.3: Counting breeding populations
Action 1.4: Study migration of adults and youngs (GPS tracking)
Action 1.5: Spatio-temporal analysis of habitats use
Action 1.6: Study reproduction success
Action 1.7: Contribute to evaluate the number of hunting curlew
Objective 2: Manage curlew habitats
Action 2.1: Maintain ou apply suitable managment of curlew habitats
Action 2.2: Reconvert or restore habitats
Action 2.3: Integrate the species problematics in managment plan of natural areas
Action 2.4: Promote Agro-Environmental and Climatic Programme (PAEC)
Objective 3: Protect curlew sites
Action 3.1: Conciderate curlew in land-use planning projects
Action 3.2: Promote the species to structures involved in buying natural areas
Objective 4: Communicate
Objective 5: Manage the plan
Bb
Vv
Promote the NMP to the public and all environmental
managers
Developp the network of partners
Look for grants and allowances to finance actions
French gouvernment don’t give direct grants
We must build projects and submit them to « project calls »
in order to try to have grants
In each Region and Department
Maintain and start actions
Following them
Evaluate action’s efficience
The following years……
Cécile PATRELLE and
Eric COQUATRIX
Union Nationale des
Fédérations Côtières de chasse