2026-07-02 北海道大学
本研究の概要
＜関連情報＞
- https://www.hokudai.ac.jp/news/2026/07/7010.html
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0272771426003008
日本における70年間の中継地変化が絶滅危惧種ヘラシギに与える影響 The impacts of seventy years of changes in stopover habitats on the critically endangered spoon-billed sandpiper Calidris pygmaea in Japan
Takehiko Shimizu, Masayuki Senzaki, Munehiro Kitazawa, Minoru Kashiwagi, Hiroshi Tomida
Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science Available online: 25 May 2026
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2026.110005
Highlights
- Examined migratory specialists’ responses to multi-type stopover habitat changes.
- Spoon-billed Sandpipers declined most sharply between the 1980s and the 1990s.
- Natural habitats declined consistently while artificial ones expanded temporarily.
- Abundance was lower at sites with greater cumulative loss of natural habitats.
- Artificial wetlands did not offset the natural habitat loss or specialist declines.
Abstract
Natural habitat loss due to land use change is a major driver of global biodiversity loss. Human-created seminatural environments can function as artificial habitats for many species, partially offsetting the impacts of natural habitat loss. However, how species respond to short- and long-term changes in both natural and artificial habitats remains poorly understood, particularly for long-distance migratory species at stopover sites. We investigated the response of the globally endangered habitat specialist species, Spoon-billed Sandpipers Calidris pygmaea, to 70 years of changes in natural wetlands, sandy beaches, and artificial wetlands across stopover habitats in the Japanese Archipelago. We compiled historical observation records of the species from multiple sources and quantified the extents of these three habitat types from 1950 to 2020. Spoon-billed Sandpiper abundance declined markedly between the 1980s and the 1990s. More than 50% of natural wetland and sandy beach areas across Japan were lost during the study period, and sandpiper abundance was lower at sites experiencing greater long-term natural habitat loss. Conversely, changes in artificial wetlands were not significantly associated with abundance, despite artificial wetlands expanding until 1970 and subsequently declining. Our findings demonstrate that historical loss of natural stopover habitats continues to negatively affect local sandpiper populations. In contrast, the temporary expansion of artificial wetlands did not sustain long-term abundance, highlighting their limited compensatory role. These findings underscore the critical importance of preserving networks of natural stopover habitats to sustain migration success, particularly for habitat specialists.
