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Waterbirds are one of the world's most attractive groups of birds and among the most threatened. These include albatrosses, flamingos, swans, geese, ducks, cranes, waders, gulls, terns and auks. They share a dependency on the world's wetlands, seas, coasts, estuaries, lagoons, lochs, rivers, marshlands, swamps, tundra and other peatlands, and they have come to symbolise the changing, fragile nature of planet earth. More than 450 conservation scientists from 90 countries attended the Waterbirds around the world conference, held in Edinburgh in 2004. The ensuing proceedings and introductory papers describe the truly global efforts being made to halt the decline in waterbird populations This groundbreaking book provides a wealth of new information on the use of global flyways by waterbirds, and discusses concerns such as climate change, infectious diseases and the need for ecosystem approaches. With more than 240 papers straddling geographical, topical and cross-cutting themes, this is a timely overview of many global partnerships between governments, agencies and other bodies tackling waterbird research, conservation and management. The international editorial and conference team has assembled a remarkable range of papers, illustrated by hundreds of figures, maps and photos. This is an indispensable resource to the birding world. "In many ways the albatross may be the ultimate test of whether or not, as a species ourselves, we are serious about conservation: capable of co-existing on this planet with other species...it would be a shameful travesty of our duty as stewards of this increasingly fragile globe if we couldn't find a way of living our lives in such a manner that these magnificent birds can continue to share the same planet with us." - From the conference address by HRH the Prince of Wales.
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