The palm-sized spoon-billed sandpiper (Calidris pygmaea) is classified as a critically endangered species by the IUCN, with a global population of fewer than 700. Spoon-billed sandpipers travel approximately 16,000 kilometers each year, from remote northeast Russia to Southeast Asia and back again. China’s coastal wetlands are one of the sandpiper’s most important stopovers along its migration route. However, the spoon-billed sandpiper’s habitat in China is under serious threat from land fill projects and industrial pollution. Greenpeace’s live animation shows the difficulties and dangers that the spoon-billed sandpiper faces along its journey.

Protecting China’s coastal wetlands is key to ensuring the spoon-billed sandpiper’s survival.