50% fewer Black-faced spoonbills in Macau

An international survey showed that despite significantly more Black-faced spoonbills spending the past winter in nearby regions, Macau has seen a 50% drop in the same period.

Besides a larger number of the bird species being recorded in nearby regions this past winter, the number has also risen in terms of global counts.

This species has the most restricted distribution of the six spoonbill species, and it is the only one regarded as endangered. It is confined to the coastal areas of eastern Asia and has four wintering sites in Macau, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Vietnam.

Macau’s government leverages this fact in its marketing efforts. The city developed the mascot for the Asian Indoor Games 2007, which was held in Macau, based on the bird species.

Eleven years later, in 2018, the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) picked a design by local resident Tou Chon Wai as the city’s tourism mascot. The mascot, once again, was developed based on the bird that habitually winters in Macau.

Commenting on the plunge in the number of Black-faced spoonbills, Joe Chan, president of the Macau Green Student Union (MGSU), blames the city’s light pollution, particularly in Cotai. He added that institutionalized control is a long-term target.

On the verge of casino relicensing, Chan suggests the government include environmental protection as a requirement in the tender. He accuses casino operators of “privatizing the nocturnal sky.”

MGSU recently submitted a petition letter to the Chief Executive to call his attention to the matter. The group managed to gather over 500 signatures on the letter.

The group stressed that impact of light pollution on lives of organisms had been scientifically proven.

Environmental topics have not stood high on the city’s agenda. Recently, the government’s public works department wanted 10 century-old trees removed to make way for a new road in Taipa.