Flyway trends for waterbird species important in lakes Ijsselmeer and Markermeer

The Lakes IJsselmeer and Markermeer form the largest fresh water lake complex in the Netherlands. They have a very important function for waterbirds as breeding, moulting, migration and wintering sites. Despite having protected status under the EU Birds Directive and the Ramsar Convention several important key species are in decline and identifying drivers behind this is important for future policy and management decisions.

However, many of the protected waterbird species at Lakes IJsselmeer and Markermeer are migratory. This poses extra challenges when the interpretating detected trends. Population declines may be caused by many different factors, either within the IJsselmeer/Markermeer itself, or elsewhere within the East Atlantic Flyway. This report analyses population trends of important waterbird species of Lakes IJsselmeer and Markermeer at the local and flyway level, and addresses the differences and similarities found.