Every year since 1967, tens of thousands of people have stepped into their local wetlands — from icy lakes to tropical mangroves — to take part in the International Waterbird Census (IWC). Together, volunteers and professionals form a global network dedicated to tracking the health of waterbird populations and the wetlands they depend on.
A Global Effort with Lasting Impact
What began as a regional survey 60 years ago has become one of the world’s most important sources of knowledge about waterbirds and wetlands. The information collected through the IWC guides real conservation action — protecting wetlands, shaping international policy, and caring for millions of waterbirds around the world.
Help Us Keep Watch Over the World’s Wetlands
The IWC depends on people like you, those who care for our shared world and want to leave it thriving for future generations of people and birds. Your donation helps us:
- Train and support volunteers around the globe.
- Keep critical data flowing to guide protection efforts.
- Connect people to their local wetlands — and to each other.
Much more information…
If you want to find out more about the IWC and its impact, here are some starting points:
- Be inspired by the stories of counters around the world
- Learn about the latest status of all the world’s waterbird populations
- Explore the annual national reports from the IWC
- Read much more about the history and impact of the IWC in our brochure
- Explore the work of our regional partners coordinating the census in the Caribbean, Central America, the Neotropics, Asia and Africa-Eurasia.
- Find the coordinator in your country and join the counts! The counts are organised in January across most of Africa, Asia and Europe and February in the Americas.
Perspectives on the IWC
“Data and information from the IWC underpins so many aspects of the work of governments to conserve waterbirds and their wetland habitats – from conservation status assessments; to the identification, designation and monitoring of important sites; and the provision of essential international contexts for species management issues. It is imperative that we maintain the IWC and continue to develop and enhance its activities as the basis for the next 50 years of waterbird conservation.”
David Stroud, Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC),United Kingdom
“Managing waterbird populations without monitoring is like managing the house-keeping money without bank statements. Waterbirds hatch and die; the rate at which they do so shapes population trends over time. Without the IWC informing about annual population sizes, we have no idea whether a species is in trouble or its numbers are burgeoning; we have no idea if hunting is sustainable or if sympathetic management is working. IWC is vital and fundamental to all aspects of waterbird population management. “
Tony Fox, Aarhus University
“The International Waterbird Census is a vital initiative of multiple partners working towards a better understanding of waterbirds populations throughout the Americas. In 2015, the Executive Office of the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN) embarked on a critical assessment of key sites using census data to prioritize conservation efforts of the Atlantic Flyway Shorebird initiative. The resulting analysis will serve as the backbone for sustained conservation action at staging and breeding habitat throughout the flyway.”
Ian J Davidson, Director, Bird and Wildlife Conservation, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and Chair, Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network Council
“The International Waterbird Census helps the Government of Canada deliver full-life cycle conservation for birds listed under the Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994 (MBCA) and the Species at Risk Act (SARA). Many species of shorebirds, waterbird and waterfowl that nest in Canada migrate and overwinter in the Caribbean, Central America and South America. The International Waterbird Census provides important information on locations used by these birds when they are outside of Canada, and helps focus conservation actions and resources where they are most needed.
For shorebirds, there is concern for those that nest in the Arctic as populations have shown serious declines; the State of Canada’s Birds – 2012 reported that arctic shorebird populations have declined by 60%. The Bird Conservation Region (BCR) Strategies, published by Environment Canada, noted the need to obtain information and identify threats for priority species when they are outside Canada. The International Waterbird Census contributes to these objectives, for example, in February 2015 the Neotropical Waterbird Census counted 28,000 arctic-nesting shorebirds listed as priority species in 15 Bird Conservation Regions of Canada.”
Cynthia Pekarik, Coordinator- Shorebird and Waterbird Conservation, Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment Canada
“BirdsCaribbean launched the Caribbean Waterbird Census (CWC) in 2009 as a region-wide survey to monitor waterbirds and wetlands. From the start, CWC has emphasized inclusion—building skills through training workshops, raising awareness, and engaging NGOs, government agencies, communities, and volunteers in monitoring and protecting wetlands. This approach helps achieve the central goal of the CWC: conserving the Caribbean’s wetlands and waterbirds through local action, one site at a time. ”
Lisa Sorenson, coordinator for the Caribbean Waterbird Census
“The IWC has produced standardized data over a very long time series at least in parts of the area. We now have data so that we can elucidate the reactions of waterbirds on different pressures such as climate change which has been shown in a set of recent scientific papers using data from the IWC in several countries.
This long-term aspect is even more important in the future with all changes in the environment that can be expected. I really hope that the work can continue in the future being one of the few really large-scale and long-term datasets we have on waterbirds. For me personally it has been of very great value to work within this network of waterfowl enthusiasts and waterfowl researchers which has given me many new ideas and a great inspiration for my work with these very exciting birds. I am still as enthusiastic to work with waterbirds and related questions now as when I was a young doctoral student 50 years ago.”
Leif Nilsson, former IWC Coordinator for Sweden
“The waterbird count is an annual exercise that my organisation, the Nigerian Conservation Foundation, leads in the country. While my participation began as an official assignment, the exercise has evolved into an annual event that we eagerly anticipate. It gives us the opportunity to interact and experience first-hand how the ecological matrix is impacted by human activities and changes in average weather conditions. It also affords us the opportunity to enlighten and interact with local communities that live in critical wetland habitats across the country. Finally, the results from the observations made during this count provide the data that we use to design conservation interventions in some of these sites.”
Stella Egbe, IWC Coordinator for Nigeria
“It was 2012 and my first time to visit the wetland of Tibsoc. We were there to try freshly caught angel wings shell, a local delicacy called “diwal”. I brought my binoculars as I expected waterbirds. It was low tide. As I scan the seascape, my attention was drawn to “moving rocks”. I took a closer look. I could not believe it. It was the largest known flock of Black-tailed Godwits and Great Knots in the Philippines. That fateful day changed how the local people look at the wetlands and the waterbirds. From a simple count, it developed into a movement that led to the declaration of Negros Occidental Coastal Wetlands Conservation Area (NOCWCA) as a Ramsar and East Asian Australasian Flyway site.”
Lisa Paguntalan-Marte, IWC counter in the Philippines