Mikulov/Bonn 25 February 2025 –  Today marks the solemn 30 year anniversary of the last indisputable sighting of the Slender-billed Curlew (Numenius tenuirostris), at Merja Zerga, Morocco, on 25  February 1995. Now considered extinct, this tragic loss stands as the first recorded extinction of a former widespread species since records began, the other cases of extinction concern mainly island or non-migratory birds with a restricted range.

“The Slender-billed Curlew’s disappearance underscores the urgent need for stronger, coordinated conservation efforts for migratory waterbirds across the African-Eurasian Flyway,” says Jacques Trouvilliez, Executive Secretary of the African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement (AEWA).

A paper published at the end of last year in the journal Ibis (17 November 2024) confirmed that the species is likely extinct, after decades of fruitless searches. This devastating conclusion came just as the IUCN Red List uplisted several other AEWA-listed waterbird species, including the Grey Plover (Pluvialis squatarola), Broad-billed Sandpiper (Calidris falcinellus), and Curlew Sandpiper (Calidris ferruginea) to Vulnerable, and the Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres) and Dunlin (Calidris alpina) to Near Threatened.

“Fifteen years ago, the Slender-billed Curlew Working Group (SBCWG) sent expert volunteer observers out to scour suitable habitats in some 30 countries of the species’ non-breeding range to try to prove that it still existed. The paper published in Ibis last year shows that we were too late, and the bird was probably already functionally extinct at the time of the last incontrovertible sighting of the bird in 1995,” says Nicola Crockford, Chair of the SBCWG and observer on behalf of BirdLife International to AEWA and the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) governing and subsidiary bodies.

Adopted under CMS in 1994, the Memorandum of Understanding concerning Conservation Measures for the Slender-billed Curlew (Numenius tenuirostris) was designed to safeguard the Slender-billed Curlew through international cooperation between governments and other stakeholders. It covered 30 Range States spanning its putative nesting areas in Northwest Siberia and Kazakhstan through non-breeding areas in Southeast Europe, the Middle East, Mediterranean and North Africa, aiming to locate and protect the species’ breeding, migration, and wintering sites.

“Some decades ago, the conservation community recognized the need for an international tool to prevent the decline of waterbirds, including for the Slender-billed Curlew, the most endangered species in need of actions. Years of negotiations gave birth to AEWA in June 1995, but we failed to prevent its extinction, the Agreement arrived too late,” says Trouvilliez.

In the 30 years of AEWA’s existence, despite coordinated conservation activities in several countries and international surveys, there have been no incontrovertible sightings of the Slender-billed Curlew.  Hence, the story of the Slender-billed Curlew remains a poignant reminder that conservation frameworks, while essential, require timely and effective implementation, sufficient resources, and sustained political commitment to succeed.

“We don’t know, and will likely never know, the reasons why the Slender-billed Curlew went extinct, but the usual suspects of unsustainable hunting and habitat loss are likely causes of the decline. However, we don’t need to know the exact reasons for the decline to learn lessons from this species. With many other migratory waterbirds facing increasing threats, AEWA’s role in uniting governments and stakeholders is more crucial than ever. We are lucky in the African-Eurasian Flyways that we have AEWA as a mechanism to support concerted, cooperative, and coordinated action for migratory waterbirds. If AEWA was implemented and all its guidance, action plans, and other tools were followed, the risk of further extinctions would be significantly reduced. The extinction of the Slender-billed Curlew should therefore be a wake-up call to mobilize the political will and resources to prevent further extinctions,” says Trouvilliez.

The extinction of the Slender-billed Curlew is a stark reminder that conservation efforts must be proactive, not reactive. The forthcoming 9^th Session of the AEWA Meeting of the Parties (MOP9) to be held from 10 – 14 November 2025 in Botswana, will serve as the next opportunity for policymakers and experts to reflect on this extinction and to discuss how to prevent future losses. Coinciding with the 30^th anniversary of the last Slender-billed Curlew observation, the AEWA Technical Committee is meeting this week in the historic town of Mikulov in the Czech Republic to conclude on substantive preparations for AEWA MOP9, including the proposal to establish a new category of listing under the treaty for extinct species.

“With new technologies and knowledge now available, there is no excuse for us to let such tragedy befall any other birds that are our natural heritage. Unlike Notre Dame, you cannot restore a species once it is destroyed,” concludes Crockford.