China UK co-operation is good for the Spoon-billed Sandpiper

This is the photo of Spoon-billed Sandpiper. [Photo: scitoday.cn]

There's good news for a critically endangered bird thanks to co-operation between China and the UK.

Named after its distinctive bill, the Spoon-billed Sandpiper is critically endangered.

Some estimates place the number of breeding pairs in the wild as low as 200, with a global population of just 2,500 birds.

Most concerningly, their annual population is estimated by experts to fall by as much as a quarter, every year. 

However, there's fresh hope for the Spoon-billed Sandpiper, and indeed other birds, too.

A delegation from China is visiting Essex, to the East of London, where the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds is building a new wetland area for the birds on Wallasea Island.

The Chinese delegation are behind a very similar project, the Shanghai Chongming Dongtan nature reserve.

During their visit, they'll sign a Wetland Affiliation Agreement with their Essex partners, as the two parties seek to learn from one another in the development of these crucial areas to help endangered wetland birds.