New count gives critically endangered waterbird a fighting chance

Sep 14, 2010, 10:45 GMT

Phnom Penh - Wildlife organizations on Tuesday hailed the result of a new survey showing that South-East Asia's most endangered waterbird, the white-shouldered ibis, is more numerous than previously thought.

Government officials and staff from several conservation agencies counted 429 birds at three dozen sites across Cambodia. The total was one-third higher than had been previously estimated.

Tom Evans, deputy country head of the Wildlife Conservation Society, said the species is one of the world's most threatened.

'Given that the numbers are so low, the discovery that there are actually quite a few more than we initially thought is exciting,' he said. 'It means we have a bit more breathing room before they go extinct.'

Evans said conservation efforts in recent years were a combined effort involving the government and ecological organizations.

'No one knows why (the population) declined so dramatically, but a few years ago the best estimate was that there were 250 adult birds left in the world,' Evans said.

A century ago, explorers reported that the bird, the size of a small chicken which feeds on small frogs and insects in wetland areas, was very common.

Today just a few are left in Laos, Vietnam and possibly in Indonesia's Kalimantan province. The bulk are in Cambodia.

Conservationist Sum Phearun from the People, Resources, and Conservation Foundation warned that the outlook for the species was still uncertain.

'It's unlikely that the population has actually grown or started recovering,' he said. 'The species is still very close to extinction so we are continuing our efforts to understand and protect the ibis.'