It is vital to identify factors that affect the overwintering of waterbirds for conservation purposes. In this study, during the winter of 2018–2019, we documented 177,414 individuals of 74 species of waterbirds in the Jiangsu coastal area, an important but poorly known overwintering location. Of the species observed, 12 were listed as threatened. We found that natural wetlands loss is a significant contributor to population declines among overwintering waterbird species in the Jiangsu coastal area, greater than anthropogenic disturbance. This loss has forced waterbirds to choose artificial wetlands, where a total of 47 species were detected. Sorted by key zones for overwintering waterbirds, 16 surveying zones were identified in the area, and most are not fully protected. Thus, conservation efforts aimed at waterbirds should focus on at least 12 conservation gaps in diversity hotspots, emphasizing the management of artificial wetlands in the Jiangsu coastal area.

为了保护目的，确定影响水鸟越冬的因素至关重要。在这项研究中，我们在2018-2019年冬季记录了江苏沿海地区74个水鸟的177,414个个体，这是一个重要的但鲜为人知的越冬地点。在观察到的物种中，有12个被列为受威胁物种。我们发现，自然湿地流失是造成江苏沿海越冬水鸟物种种群减少的重要因素，其程度大于人为干扰。这种损失迫使水鸟选择人工湿地，总共发现了47种。按照越冬水鸟的关键区域进行排序，该区域确定了16个测量区域，其中大多数没有得到充分保护。从而，