Saving a Rare Shorebird: The Magellanic Plover of Patagonia

Speaker - Carmen Lishman, M.Sc., Shorebird Researcher

Talk Description - Join us for a presentation on one of the world's rarest and least-known shorebirds. The Magellanic Plover (Pluvianellus socialis) is endemic to the windswept steppes and coastlines of southern Patagonia, straddling Argentina and Chile. While populations were historically assumed to be larger, a definitive binational survey in 2021/2022 revealed a critical reality: just 264 individuals were recorded during the breeding season and 300 during the non-breeding season. This discovery has significantly shifted the urgency of the species' conservation status.

Carmen Lishman, who has collaborated with Argentine conservationists on this initiative since 2005, will discuss this cross-continental partnership and the operational realities of protecting a critically low-profile species.

This talk offers an invaluable window into a remote ecosystem and a model for international conservation cooperation, tailored for birders, conservation professionals, and environmental advocates alike.