1136 / 2024-09-20 14:55:18

China’s intertidal mollusc aquaculture sustains an endangered shorebird flyway

shorebirds,mollusc aquaculture,intertidal mudflat,Chinese coast,biodiversity conservation,seafood

The conflict between food production and biodiversity conservation has become increasingly pressing, especially in coastal regions where land resources are limited. In these areas, the rising demand for seafood and land, fueled by growing populations, has significantly strained coastal habitats, which are essential for both mariculture and wild animals. This is particularly evident in China, where intertidal flats serve as key stopover sites for shorebirds along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway (EAAF), meanwhile increasingly being used for expanding mollusc aquaculture. Here, we present the first comprehensive study, spanning a decade (2011-2021) and 18,400 km of China's coastline, examining the effects of intertidal mollusc aquaculture on migratory shorebirds. We found that commercial molluscs, comprising 85% of the mollusc density, have become a crucial component of shorebird diets, significantly affecting their spatial distribution, population size, and intake rates. Moreover, we reveal an unexpected backfire of banning managed mollusc aquaculture on shorebird conservation and underlines the risk of a ‘tragedy of the commons’-like scenario, triggered by unmanaged public molluscs exploitation. This study underpins the pivotal role of intertidal mollusc aquaculture along China’s coast in sustaining migratory shorebirds of the EAAF and provides novel insights for managing seafood production while conserving biodiversity.