Why are shorebirds worth preserving?

Preserving shorebirds goes beyond their intrinsic biological value. These species have a direct relationship with humans by providing various services that benefit us directly or indirectly. In this review, we compile the contribution of shorebirds to the provision of ecosystem services to visualize how their decline affects human life. We carried out a quantitative search for information in databases for scientific articles, web pages, reports, and theses, and we discussed the most relevant studies. Shorebirds are sentinels of healthy environments. They provide nutrients for the growth of microbenthos, participate in the carbon cycle, control pests and non-native species, and help plant dispersal. In addition, they are bioindicators of contaminants such as heavy metals, microplastics, and antibiotics in natural ecosystems. They also contribute to the provision of food (meat and eggs), serving to the diet and nutrition of people in rural and indigenous communities and provide cultural services (e.g. spiritual, medicinal, birdwatching, recreation) for native and westernized communities. Although shorebirds provide various ecosystem services, there is less information available on this topic compared to others, such as population size, ecology, reproduction, or migration. Improving our knowledge on how shorebirds benefit humans will help in the implementation of effective management strategies and ensure the conservation of this group of globally threatened birds.