Advances in Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa limosa conservation research over the last 15 years: What have we learned and what do we need to know?

The Western European breeding population of Black-tailed Godwits Limosa limosa limosa is declining alarmingly. The International Wader Study Group held a workshop in 2007 to identify the likely causes for this decline and generate a research agenda to improve godwit conservation, with a follow-up workshop held in 2022. Here, we report on the 2022 workshop to summarise which of the research gaps identified in 2007 have been addressed, to assess the current situation for godwits (e.g. issues and threats), and to set a new conservation research agenda. Low reproductive success was considered in 2007 to be the most likely cause of the population decline, and the current evidence points even more clearly to insufficient productivity as the main driver, yet there are still no solutions to ensure stable and self-sustaining godwit populations. The development of long-term solutions is hampered by trade-offs with other societal desires, especially related to agriculture. The 2022 workshop also identified a list of research questions to prioritise; these mainly address the lack of mechanistic understanding that currently hinders the development and implementation of the holistic, restorative approaches needed to conserve godwits. How do godwits determine where and when to breed? Why do chick growth and chick survival decline seasonally? Why do nest and chick predation vary in space and time? Establishing these and other relationships between the environment and godwit productivity is necessary to understand what conservation measures are required and how to incorporate them into a larger societal picture. Meanwhile, we must also identify threats the godwit population could face in the coming years, including highlighting the need to – at the very least – maintain the status quo along the flyway to avoid further losses.