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New Partnership Strengthens Global Campaign for Migratory Birds
PRESS RELEASE
East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership (EAAFP) Becomes Official Partner of World Migratory Bird Day
Brisbane, 17 March 2023 - The East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership (EAAFP) was announced as an official partner of the World Migratory Bird Day campaign during the 11th Meeting of Partners (MOP11) of the EAAFP which ended in Brisbane, Australia today. The new Partnership unites efforts to raise awareness to conserve migratory birds globally.
The World Migratory Bird is an annual global awareness-raising campaign to celebrate the amazing journeys of migratory birds, and to inspire worldwide conservation of migratory birds and their habitats. Traditionally observed on the second Saturday of May and October, the two days of World Migratory Bird Day are a way to reflect the cyclical nature of bird migration as well as the fact that there are varying peak migration periods in the northern and southern hemispheres.
The campaign is a joint effort of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA), Environment for the Americas and the EAAFP. The addition of the EAAFP to this Partnership will strengthen engagement and awareness for migratory birds in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway.
Ms. Amy Fraenkel, Executive Secretary of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals said “I am confident that the new partnership with EAAFP will open new horizons for global migratory bird conservation and strengthen our common effort to raise awareness of migratory birds and the importance of international cooperation to conserve them.”
Dr. Jacques Trouvilliez, AEWA's Executive Secretary said “It is my sincere hope that the signing of this partnership agreement and the good inter-flyway cooperation we have built in the context of World Migratory Bird Day will continue to grow. It is the spirit of flyway conservation and the recognition that international cooperation is essential to conserve migratory birds that unite us and helps carry our message across the world.”
Dr. Susan Bonfield, Executive Director of Environment for the Americas highlighted “Birds do not recognize the presence of political borders. With this partnership agreement, we express our unwavering dedication to safeguarding migratory birds throughout their flyways and promoting the connections between people and birds on the occasion of World Migratory Bird Day. Together, our organizations pledge to collaborate towards the global conservation of migratory birds.”
Mr. Robb Kaler, Chair of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership said “We are thrilled to join as a new Partner to World Migratory Bird Day and to collaborate with CMS, AEWA and EFTA! The new partnership will allow stronger collaboration, inspire more great ideas and make a wider impact on the conservation of migratory birds on a global level. The EAAFP is committed to voice out the message to conserve migratory birds together.”
The theme of World Migratory Bird Day in 2023 is “Water: Sustaining Bird Life” and will be used to highlight the importance of water for migratory birds. Inland and coastal wetlands, rivers, lakes, streams, marshes, and ponds are all vital for feeding, drinking, or nesting, and also as places to rest and refuel during their long journeys. Unfortunately, many of these water bodies and aquatic ecosystems are becoming increasingly threatened around the world and so are the migratory birds that depend on them.
The two peak days of World Migratory Bird Day 2023 will be 13 May and 14 October, reflecting the cyclical nature of bird migration with varying migration periods in the northern and southern hemispheres.
World Migratory Bird Day www.worldmigratorybirdday.org
Notes to Editors:
About CMS
The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), a global treaty of the United Nations, provides a global platform for the conservation and sustainable use of migratory animals and their habitats. This unique treaty brings governments and wildlife experts together to address the conservation needs of terrestrial, aquatic, and avian migratory species and their habitats around the world. Since the Convention's entry into force in 1979, its membership has grown steadily to include 133 Parties from Africa, Central and South America, Asia, Europe and Oceania.
About AEWA
The Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) is an inter-governmental treaty dedicated to the conservation of migratory waterbirds that migrate along the African-Eurasian Flyway. The Agreement covers 255 species of birds ecologically dependent on wetlands for at least part of their annual cycle.
A total of 82 countries and the European Union have signed the environmental treaty, which has a geographic range covering 119 countries across Africa, Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, Greenland and the Canadian Archipelago.
About EFTA
Environment for the Americas (EFTA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to connecting people across the Western Hemisphere to bird conservation. Environment for the America’s work includes creating internship programs for the next generation of conservation leaders as well as coordinating World Migratory Bird Day in the Americas.
Learn more at environmentamericas.org
About EAAFP
Adopted in the list of the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002 as a Type II initiative which is informal and voluntary, The East Asian - Australasian Flyway Partnership (EAAFP) was launched on 6 November 2006. EAAFP is also recognized as one of the Ramsar Regional Initiative in 2005. The Partnership aims to protect migratory waterbirds, their habitats, and the livelihoods of people dependent upon them in the East Asian - Australasian Flyway.
There are currently 39 Partners including 18 countries, 6 Intergovernmental agencies, 13 International Non-governmental Organizations (iNGOs), 1 International Organization, and 1 International Private Enterprise. The EAAFP developed the Flyway Site Network of wetlands of international importance for the conservation of migratory waterbirds. At present, there are over 150 Flyway Network Sites and the network is actively expanding. There are 7 Working Groups and 9 Task Forces to facilitate conservation work in the East Asian - Australasian Flyway.
For more information and expert interviews, please contact:
Vivian Fu, Communications Officer, EAAFP, Incheon, Republic of Korea. Email: [email protected] | Tel: +82 010 9332 6130
Florian Keil, Information Officer, UNEP/CMS + UNEP/AEWA Secretariat, Bonn, Germany. Email: [email protected] | Tel: +49 228 8152451
Susan Bonfield, Executive Director, Environment for the Americas, Boulder, CO, USA. Email: [email protected] | Tel: +001 970-393-1183