(Fairbanks, August 18, 2016)  Conservation of intertidal habitat— 65 percent of which has been lost over the last 50 years— is critical to the survival of countless birds during migration on the East Asian Australasian Flyway.  In an effort to understand the threats and inform conservation of these areas, scientists from The Institute of Biological Problems of the North (Russian Academy of Sciences) and WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society) have collaborated to identify vital stopover areas for the dunlin, a shorebird known to migrate up to 7500 km (4700 miles) to reach its destination.