Bibliometric-based identification and visualisation of hotspots in waterbird conservation research

Abstract: As an indicative taxon of wetland ecosystems, the survival status of waterbirds is closely related to the health of wetlands, and in recent years, global waterbird conservation research has shown rapid development. Based on 2,137 articles on waterbird conservation from 1990 to 2024 in the WOS Core Collection database, we analysed them using tools such as Cite Space and VOS viewer. It shows that the annual publication volume of related literature shows an overall increasing trend, and the United States and China have become the core research regions, and most of the research results are published in authoritative journals such as 《EFSA JOURNAL》, 《BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION》, and so on. Keywords such as ”conservation”, ”wetland” and ”species distribution modelling” appear frequently, revealing the close connection between waterbird conservation, wetland quality and human intervention. Currently, the research hotspots focus on the adaptive mechanism of waterbirds under climate change, the ecological effects of habitat fragmentation, the technological innovation of AI monitoring, and the reconstruction of waterbird communities in wetland restoration. These studies not only deepen the understanding of waterbird-environment interactions, but also provide scientific pathways to address global challenges such as wetland degradation and biodiversity loss, and help to build an ecosystem-based conservation strategy for waterbirds.