The Madagascar pochard is the world's rarest duck.
Once probably widespread on the wetlands of Madagascar’s high plateau region, the country’s endemic pochard (Aythya innotata) had become extremely rare by the 1960s and the last sighting was in 1990. The combined impacts of hunting, wetland conversion and introduced fish were thought to have caused this diving duck’s demise. Then, by chance, in 2006, biologists from The Peregrine Fund rediscovered the species in a remote area of northern Madagascar. But the species remains Critically Endangered and restricted to just one lake: what is possibly the world’s rarest bird teeters on the brink of extinction.
A survey of other lakes in the region in 2007 found no more ducks. So, in 2008, WWT, Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust and the Peregrine Fund began to plan a major project with the Government of Madagascar to save the species. We aim to establish a conservation-breeding centre in 2010 near the lake with the last remaining wild birds. We will also study the ecology of the species and the local wetlands, identify sites where the captive-bred birds can be released, write an action plan that identifies all the conservation needs for the species, and work with local people who depend on the wetlands for their livelihoods. This is a long-term project that may take 20 or 30 years to achieve. Our vision is a series of restored thriving wetlands, benefiting both wildlife and local communities, with healthy numbers of Madagascar pochards.
Urgent action is needed
A reconnaissance expedition by the partners in July found the situation was more critical than we feared: fewer than 20 birds were seen, and these included just six females. Further, we learned that in 2008, although the pochards bred successfully in the wild, for unknown reasons, none of the ducklings that hatched survived beyond a few weeks. With such a small and localised population, there is a real concern that an extreme event – such as a tropical storm or a disease outbreak – could potentially wipe out the whole population.
WWT’s Aviculture Manager, Nigel Jarrett: “With possibly only six females the total population of Madagascar pochard might well number just six pairs, and with no successful fledglings from the 2008 season, the entire species is at risk of being wiped out by a single extreme event such as flooding.”
It was therefore decided that immediate action should be taken. With support from the government of Madagascar and local people, a team from the UK has flown to Madagascar to bring eggs from the 2009 breeding season into captivity.
Thanks to funding in 2009 from the Mitsubishi Corporation Fund for Europe & Africa, Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, WWT, The Peregrine Fund and the Government of Madagascar have been able to undertake this project.