The Saddle-billed Stork Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis exemplifies a case in conservation research in which a species is assessed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List and the resulting consideration of low conservation priority has precluded proper scientific study. As a first step in understanding this stork’s true status, we collated all available data to develop a distribution map and then investigated range-wide patterns of occurrence. The updated map greatly improves on past knowledge of the stork’s distribution and helps to identify regions where range contractions have occurred, particularly in Central Africa and parts of West Africa. We found that the stork’s distribution closely overlaps with protected areas and that there has been an overall increase in surface water (largely manmade water bodies)—a proxy for habitat—across the species’ extent of occurrence in recent decades. While this research represents a valuable contribution to our understanding of the Saddle-billed Stork, it also highlights the need for unbiased empirical data, especially from areas that are poorly surveyed, for developing a science-based conservation status assessment.

塞内加尔鹅鞍马鹳举例说明了保护研究中的一个案例，在该案例中，某物种被评估为世界自然保护联盟（IUCN）红色名录中最不关注的物种，因此对保护优先权低的考虑排除了适当的科学研究。作为了解这只鹳的真实状况的第一步，我们整理了所有可用数据以建立分布图，然后研究了范围广泛的发生模式。更新后的地图极大地提高了对鹳分布的以往了解，并有助于确定发生范围缩小的区域，特别是在中部非洲和西非部分地区。我们发现，鹳的分布与保护区紧密重叠，并且在近几十年来，整个物种的发生范围内，作为栖息地的代表，地表水（主要是人造水体）的总体增加。