The migratory nature of shorebirds makes them especially vulnerable to threats. Harmful changes to wetlands, grasslands, beaches, mudflats, mangroves and tundra require us to act now to conserve and restore these important habitats, which also provide homes and livelihoods for people. For example, protection of mangroves and salt marshes are critical because they are nursery grounds for fisheries. Tidal marshes, wetlands and grasslands sequester carbon and help mitigate the effects of climate change. Although the challenges are great, they are not without solutions.

Shorebirds favor open landscapes, such as rocky shores, beach, wetlands, grassland and tundra throughout their annual cycles. These habitats have been altered dramatically in the last century throughout the Western Hemisphere. Shorebirds rely on a linked series of wetland and coastal habitats that provide sufficient foraging opportunities to fuel their long-distance migrations. They are highly site faithful from year to year and often depend on a few, discrete stopover, breeding and wintering sites. These unique life-history traits make them vulnerable to natural and human-caused perturbations.