A second life for your old 3G GPS devices! | Tracking wader’s migration in the Western Indian Ocean

Dear IWSG Members,

We hope this message finds you well. We are reaching out to seek your support in an important research initiative focusing on the migration strategies and wintering behaviours of waders in the Western Indian Ocean region.

The islands of the Western Indian Ocean are at the southern limit of the West Asia – East Africa Flyway. These islands host diverse assemblages of palearctic waders, yet, compared to other flyways, they remain among the least studied and least understood. To fill this knowledge gap, the research team at UMR ENTROPIE (Université de La Réunion) has launched a project funded by the French Office for Biodiversity (OFB) dedicated to tracking waders in this region.

As part of this initiative, we have deployed six Ornitela 3G GPS devices to track whimbrels across La Réunion and Mayotte, with plans to expand our study to Madagascar, which hosts an even greater number of waders. However, our ability to continue this research is challenged by the fact that Ornitela has ceased the production of 3G GPS devices due to the global transition to 4G and 5G networks. Unfortunately, most countries along our study flyway still rely on 3G, making these devices crucial for our work.

How can you help?

If you or any colleagues have unused Ornitela 3G GPS units that are no longer usable in your study areas due to the discontinuation of 3G networks, we would be deeply grateful if you could consider donating or selling them to us at a friendly price. Acquiring additional GPS devices would significantly enhance our capacity to track more birds and improve our understanding of wader migration in this understudied region.

If you are interested in contributing, please feel free to contact me via email: florinah.razafimandimby@univ-reunion.fr.

Alternatively, you can send devices directly to the following address:

Razafimandimby Harivavikoa Florinah
UMR ENTROPIE: “Unité Mixte de Recherche – Écologie Tropicale des Océans Pacifiques et Indien”
Université de La Réunion
15 Avenue René Cassin, CS 92003
97744 Saint Denis Cedex 9
Île de La Réunion, France
Phone: +262692707229

We also encourage you to share this request with any colleagues who might be able to assist.

Your support would be invaluable in helping us advance this research and contribute to a better understanding of wader migration in the Western Indian Ocean region.

Thank you in advance for your generosity and support!

Best regards,
Florinah Razafimandimby
PhD Student, Université de La Réunion

On behalf of my co-supervisors Matthieu Le Corre and Audrey Jaeger

Featured image: Numenius phaeopus. ©Gertjan van Noord