Improving habitat, declining populations: The paradox of the Critically Endangered Sociable Lapwing
© Tushar ShindeWe mapped changes in habitat suitability for sociable lapwing through the annual cycle over the past three decades. Our maps indicated an overall increase in suitable habitat through the annual cycle i.e. – breeding, stop-over and winter ranges.
As the species continues to remain Critically Endangered, our findings highlight the need for bird tracking and monitoring outside breeding ranges, ideally supported by remote sensing based land-use land cover change monitoring. This could help understand specific environmental change drivers of species decline across the entire migratory range.