摘要

Although total wintering waterbirds have increased in Poyang Lake, some groups or species might have declined. Identifying declining groups and species will help to optimize conservation strategies. In addition, knowledge of waterbird distribution is required to identify priority areas for protection. In this study, we aimed to explore long-term population trends of waterbird groups and species and to investigate waterbird distribution in Poyang Lake by integrating survey data from 1996/1997 to 2014/2015. Poyang Lake Nature Reserve, Duchang and Nanji Wetland Nature Reserve had high waterbird richness and abundance and high proportion of IUCN endangered species, thus they are important areas for waterbird protection. An important limitation to waterbird protection in the three areas is lack of management rights of most sub-lakes. Most waterbird groups in Poyang Lake have grown, but ducks have declined. Hunting and the decline of aquatic vegetation might be driving the duck declines. In addition, White-naped Crane (Grus vipio), Spot-billed Duck (Anas poecilorhyncha) and Northern Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus) have declined. While we believe the data presented here indicate general trends in groups and species, the analyses suffered from variation in methods used in different surveys. We advocate long-term waterbird monitoring using standardized methods to better understand waterbirds' population dynamics.