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