White Plains, NY—Together with its longtime partner BirdLife International, Zeiss announced its new role as BirdLife Species Champion for the spotted greenshank. Zeiss and BirdLife will coordinate efforts to conserve the spotted greenshank; the species is an endangered shorebird and migratory bird whose population continues to decline due to dwindling habitat.
Moreover, Zeiss is providing important resources to support the local BirdLife partner, the Conservation Society of Thailand (BCST). Zeiss will provide its financial support as well as donations of optical devices. BCST works to protect refuge areas for the birds on the Gulf of Thailand’s coast during the winter months.
“We believe we have a special responsibility to promote sustainability,” said Petra Kregelius-Schmidt, manager, Global Marketing, Nature Observation at Zeiss. “Through this partnership, we want to play an active role in protecting nature as well as the habitats of this endangered species for a long time to come.”
Zeiss and BirdLife Conservation Initiatives
In addition, Zeiss is committed to numerous conservation projects and initiatives as part of its sustainability strategy. These projects will help protect plants, animals and their habitats.
In this context, the spotted greenshank is a special bird species worth protecting. That’s because it is not only endangered but also because of its unique way of building nests on trees.
Furthermore, to contribute to the conservation of the species, Zeiss is financially supporting BirdLife International’s new project. It will also provide numerous optical devices for the charitable organization’s work on-site.
“In the winter, the majority of spotted greenshanks seem to retreat to wetlands in Thailand and Malaysia,” explained Ding Li Yong, coordinator of BirdLife Asia’s Flyways program.
Consequently, BCST is establishing shorebird conservation areas and wetland monitoring and protection management along the Gulf of Thailand. The goal is to stabilize the population with larger protected areas. 
Importantly, the local community’s interest and involvement in the conservation of these and other threatened shorebird species is critical. Therefore, BCST is establishing local conservation groups and strengthening collaboration with local authorities to address further threats in the areas.
“We are thrilled to become a BirdLife Species Champion for the spotted greenshank and to support this new project,” Kregelius-Schmidt added. “The spotted greenshank is another example of an endangered migratory bird that is in desperate need of help. This makes it all the more important to support BirdLife’s research and conservation efforts to protect it in its wintering grounds.”
To learn more about BirdLife International’s Species Champions and other conservation projects, check out the Zeiss Nature Observation blog.
