Concerned over the depleting population of critically endangered migratory Baer’s Pochard, delegates from 10 countries signed Hengshui Declaration on Tuesday, to protect the bird from getting extinct. 

Baer’s Pochard population has decimated by more than 90 percent in the last 30 years. Only 1,000 of them exist in the wild, making it rarer than the giant panda, delegates claimed. 

Global experts and ornithologists during a two-day meeting at Hengshui Lake National Nature Reserve at north China's Hebei Province brainstormed steps needed to save the East Asian water bird. 

Keeping in view the dismal scenario, experts from Bangladesh, China, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, India, Japan, Mongolia, Myanmar, the Republic of Korea, Russia and Thailand — the primary habitat of the bird — unanimously decided to sign the declaration to protect and revive the bird’s population. 

The declaration will seek to get State Forestry Administration’s recommendation to add Baer’s Pochard in the list of species that are given first-class protection in China. Efforts are also underway to nominate Hengshui Lake as a wetland of international significance under the Ramsar Convention and “Home of Baer’s Pochard”.

Pro. Ding Changqing, chair of the Baer’s Pochard Task Force during the signing of the declaration pointed out Baer’s Pochard is a jewel in the crown of East Asia’s natural heritage. And with a distribution concentrated in China, we have a unique responsibility to ensure its survival in the wild. 

“I am delighted that the State Forestry Administration has recommended that Baer’s Pochard is added to the list of species with Class 1 protection in China.” The organization’s decision will require approval from China’s government. 

“Once approved this will mean severe penalties for anyone killing or endangering this bird and will be a significant step forward towards ensuring the species’ long-term survival.”

The mysterious plummeting of Baer Pochard’s population

According to East Asian-Australasian Flyway (EAAF) experts, Baer’s Pochard was seen in large number in the early 1980s, but suddenly its population started a steep decline. 

“The causes of the sudden and dramatic decline of this bird are largely unknown. A combination of factors, including drying lakes due to excessive water use for agriculture and drought, large-scale egg collection by locals at the breeding sites and habitat loss are collectively threatening the existence of these birds,” Director of Eco-Action, Terry Townshend told CGTN. 

In 2012, there were very few sightings of this rare duck and experts were clueless about its breeding area. Concerned over the plummeting population, IUCN decided to upgrade Baer’s Pochard to the critically endangered category. 

Following IUCN’s action, an International Single Species Action Plan (ISSAP) was prepared in 2014 to study and devise a plan to protect the endangered bird. Baer’s Pochards, with a dark gray or black head with light brown-red and white sides, feed by diving beneath the surface of the water.

Yuan Bo, Director of Hengshui Lake National Nature Reserve, assured delegates, “We are doing all we can to ensure the site is managed in a way that allows our Baer’s Pochards to flourish, thereby helping to reverse the decline in the wild population of this beautiful duck.”