Because egg collection is the highest threat to this species, since 2007 we have produced education materials such as posters, calendars and leaflets targeting students, fishermen, and the general public so they will understand this is an important species and consumption of seabird eggs has to be stopped.
From 2007, student volunteer teams have been established in Fujian and Zhejiang provinces. The students are supporting conservation of the Chinese Crested Tern by promoting the message to other students of their same age, and to persuade their parents and elders not to collect and consume seabird eggs.
Public symposia had been held in Fuzhou City and Xiangshan County regularly since 2008. In September 2011, conservation of the Chinese Crested Tern has become one of the main topics at the Fishery Festival of Xiangshan County (the Fishery Festival marks the opening of the fishing season. The Xiangshan Fishery Festival is a very famous festival in China)
Workshops and meetings were held to promote communication between wildlife authorities across the Taiwanese Strait and amongst government agencies and researchers in China to initiation more cooperation work on protecting the Chinese Created Tern and its habitats.
In order to promote cooperation and exchange of information between mainland China and Taiwan, workshops and meetings were held in Taipei (July 2007), Fuzhou (April 2009) and Mazu (November 2009).
The first workshop on seabird conservation in China was held in Xiangshan in July 2010. It was the first time all government agencies in China relevant to seabird conservation and fishery management came together to discuss the conservation needs of the Chinese Crested Tern.
▶The proceedings of this meeting can be downloaded here.
A workshop on restoration and management of breeding islands is scheduled had been held in Xiangshan in March 2012. Another workshop, also convened in Xiangshan (March 2013), finalized the preparation for restoration of the breeding site of terns in Jiushan Islands. Field work will start from the summer of 2013.
From 2010, we have started promotion of the Chinese Crested Tern at the potential wintering grounds. Posters in national languages were produced in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines in late 2010. A meeting for the range countries (China, Indonesia, Philippines and Malaysia) was held in Indonesia in March 2012.
