Southern South America supports the majority of the hemispheric and global populations of a large suite of ..Nearctic migratory shorebirds. Robust hemispheric population estimates for many of these species are lacking, ..and this knowledge gap is impeding conservation efforts. The generation of improved population and trend ..estimates is therefore a critical conservation priority for both the Atlantic and Pacific Flyways. Project partners ..will build on recent survey efforts and a growing interest in shorebird conservation to address current knowledge ..gaps about nonbreeding shorebird populations by carrying out the first simultaneous ground-based survey of the ..entire coastlines of Peru, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, and southern Brazil in January 2018. Their efforts will target ..all Nearctic shorebirds, but will specifically provide much needed information about declining or poorly known species, ..such as: Hudsonian Godwit, Whimbrel, Black-bellied Plover, Ruddy Turnstone, Red Knot, Semipalmated Sandpiper, ..Western Sandpiper, Sanderling, and Short-billed Dowitcher. The surveys will rely solely on volunteer observers and ..will only make use of open-access databases to ensure that public participation is high at each stage of the project. ..Volunteer observers will be trained through targeted workshops, and will form teams with trained professionals to ..undertake the surveys. Partners will collaborate and coordinate with national, regional, and local governments, as ..well as local NGOs and land managers to enable these organizations to become full participants and have complete ..access to all information generated by the project. Survey data will be used to inform conservation actions, including ..the identification of new IBAs, promoting the designation of new WHSRN sites and protected areas, revising existing ..management actions, and proposing new management actions. The survey will also be integrated with the Atlantic ..Flyway Shorebird Initiative and the