North Arctic America

Asia

Europe

Wadden Sea

Atlantic

Doñana

Banc d’Arguin

South Bijagós America Africa

East Atlantic Flyway Migratory birds, Key sites for migratory shorebirds: > 1 million birds our shared > 500,000 birds > 100,000 birds responsibility World Heritage Site Millions on the move photography: BAR-TAILED GODWIT ArieOuwerkerk/Buiten-Beeld, GREY PLOVER Marc Guyt/Agami, BURKINAFASO Michielvan denBergh Birds connect the Arctic, Wadden Sea and Africa

The East Atlantic Flyway conservation Flyway pays off

• Each year many millions • Coastal sites are also im- Thousands of people, organi- • National Species Action The vision of the Wadden BirdLife International is of shorebirds migrate from portant for people, providing sations and governments Plans developed for Eurasian Sea Flyway Initiative (WSFI) leading the Conservation northern breeding grounds to livelihoods and economic along the flyway contribute Spoonbill and Black-tailed of the Governments of The of Migratory Birds project wintering areas in the South. development. Unsustainable to the conservation of Godwit in four West African Netherlands, Germany and which focuses on seven Many travel more than 10,000 human activities such as migratory birds and the sites countries. Denmark is that ‘Migratory countries in West Africa kilometres. poorly planned infrastructure on which they depend. • Increased capacity for con- birds find lasting refuge along from Mauritania to Sierra • These birds rely on a chain development and over-fishing Highlights include: servation in eight countries the East Atlantic Flyway Leone. It aims to build long- of high quality coastal sites decrease the quality of sites, • Monitoring of birds and in West Africa. from northern breeding areas term partnerships between to feed and rest. Even the for birds and people. sites, from the Wadden Sea to • Conservation action in West to their key Wadden Sea governmental organisations loss of one site can seriously • Many shorebird populations Southern Africa. Africa, including mangrove stopover and to the African and NGOs for the conserva- affect a whole population. in our flyway are in strong • Identification of conserva- restoration and reduced dis- coastline, and inspire and tion of migratory birds. decline. tion priorities. turbance of roosting sites of connect people for future migratory shorebirds. generations’. Projects are • Conservation actions con- carried out under the WSFI tribute to improved liveli- that strengthen capacity for hoods for local communities. monitoring and conservation of migratory waterbirds in Africa. What is the East Atlantic Flyway? • The East Atlantic Flyway is the network of sites used each year by millions of birds migrating between their breeding grounds in the Arctic and their wintering sites in Western Europe and along the western seaboard of Africa. DUNLIN Daniele Occhiato/Buiten-Beeld • Flyways encompass the whole life cycle of migratory birds. Shorebirds need to stop for food and rest on their migrations, relying on a fragile chain of undisturbed coastal stopover sites where food is plentiful. One broken link in the chain of critical sites connecting the Arctic and the tropics Eurasian Spoonbill can impact the viability of shorebird populations. With more than 2,500 pairs, nearly half of the East Atlantic population of Eurasian How can the East Atlantic Flyway International framework Key sites for migratory shorebirds Spoonbills nest in and • Shorebirds are especially vulnerable during migration. Some around the Wadden be conserved? The African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA), Sea. They migrate in sites are exceptionally important because they support huge • Cooperation and communication between governments and an Agreement under the Convention of Migratory Species winter to southern numbers of birds. For birds there is no alternative to these key (CMS), focuses on migratory waterbirds and is crucial because and western Europe science, civil society and nature conservation organisations is of its encouragement of flyway-level activities and its influence sites. and West Africa, crucial for flyway conservation. • The Wadden Sea is a crucial stopover site for migratory especially the Banc • Joint monitoring and research activities along the East Atlantic at government level. shorebirds in the East Atlantic Flyway. An estimated 12 million d’Arguin in Mauritania Flyway are essential to collect information for effective flyway The Wadden Sea birds rely on the Wadden Sea, one of the main reasons it was where they join a non- management. The UNESCO World Heritage Convention draws attention to the migratory sub-species declared a World Heritage Site in 2009. • Implementation of participatory conservation strategies and most important natural and cultural sites in the world. UNESCO which breeds only • 2.5 million shorebirds spend the northern winter at the Banc action plans for species and sites, especially the most critical encourages people at the World Heritage sites most important there. Gateway to d’Arguin World Heritage Site in Mauritania, and many more pass sites. for birds to cooperate in conservation activities. through on their journeys further south. • Coordination at flyway level through Inter-governmental the East Atlantic Flyway • The Bijagós Archipelago in Guinea-Bissau is another crucial Agreements and collaborative conservation programmes. site with 1.5 million wintering birds. The Bijagós is in the process International collaboration pays off of becoming a World Heritage Site. Red Knot How do we know which species and The WSFI and CMB projects are having an impact on migratory Red Knots nest in bird conservation at international, national and local levels. the high Arctic in the sites need conserving? Highlights include: months of June and July. The Wadden • Conservation works best with reliable information on bird • A comprehensive flyway monitoring strategy developed for Sea is a critical site numbers, sites, threats, distribution and migration routes, which for two of the world’s shorebirds. is collected through research and monitoring programmes. six sub-species. One • An integrated survey of populations and sites from the Wad- • The International Waterbird Census (IWC) coordinated by Wet- breeds in Canada and den Sea to Southern Africa executed in January 2014. lands International is used to monitor waterbirds throughout the Greenland; most of • A flyway vision and Plan of Action developed for migratory world, and the Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBA) pro- this population spends bird conservation along the flyway agreed by relevant organisa- gramme coordinated by BirdLife International is used to monitor the winter in huge tions in bird conservation. flocks in the Wadden sites and the threats affecting them. • Capacity for conservation improved through training of Sea. The other sub-

partners and individuals via national courses in eight countries species breeds in Arctic Russia and in West Africa. the whole population Flyway Projects that are helping • Capacity and networking increased through a major regional passes through the conserve the East Atlantic Flyway workshop for site managers from across the western coast of Wadden Sea where Africa. The Trilateral Wadden Sea Cooperation of Germany, the Netherlands they feed and rest Grey Plover • National species action plans prepared for Eurasian Spoonbill before continuing and Denmark protects migratory waterbirds at the Wadden Sea Grey Plovers nest on and Black-tailed Godwit in four West African countries. their migration to the through implementation of a joint management plan, supported the tundra of Russia, foto: Barend van Gemerden • Conservation action in West Africa, including mangrove resto- west coast of Africa. by an extensive programme of bird counts and habitat monitoring. Canada and Alaska, ration, village agreements for sustainable fisheries, and reduced Both populations are and in the northern in decline. disturbance of roosting sites of migratory shorebirds. The Wadden Sea Flyway Initiative (WSFI) is a response to winter are distributed • Local communities, site managers and government agencies the increased responsibility of the three governments for con- along coasts worldwide. They often effectively engaged in conservation activities. Conservation ac- serving migratory waterbirds that depend on the Wadden Sea feed singly or in small tion is contributing to improved livelihoods for local communities. along their flyways, following the site’s inscription on the list of groups, sometimes • An exciting new photographic field guide under development, UNESCO World Heritage sites. It started with two projects in congregating in huge for use by field personnel along the western coast of Africa. 2012 focussing on: flocks at high tide More and more people • Joint communication plan to raise awareness on conservation • Capacity building through regional and national workshops roosts. In Africa, this enjoy the spectacle of migratory birds along the East Atlantic Flyway in both West The importance of the Wadden Sea on the flyway approach, management and network building; is one of the species of bird migration. Africa and Wadden Sea countries. • Monitoring, by training of monitoring teams in West Africa, characteristic of These ‘nature tourists’ for migratory birds mangrove areas. boost local economies. developing monitoring strategies and a monitoring framework Over half of the • The Wadden Sea is among the largest coastal wetlands in the for the whole East Atlantic Flyway. East Atlantic Flyway world and the most important site for waterbirds in Europe. population feeds and foto: Barend van Gemerden • The Wadden Sea is crucial for at least 60 species at the breeding, The Conservation of Migratory Birds (CMB) project led by rests in the Wadden migrating and non-breeding stages of their life cycles. BirdLife International focuses on seven coastal countries in West Sea on migration. • The central position of the Wadden Sea on the East Atlantic Africa from Mauritania to Sierra Leone including Cape Verde, After a recovery Flyway makes it the most important resting and feeding area in partnership with Wetlands International and national Non- in the 1990s, this for these birds on their autumn migration between the Arctic Governmental Organizations (NGOs). The project concentrates population is again and tropical Africa. on capacity building for improved site and species monitoring, in decline. • On their return migration, the quality of undisturbed feeding and conservation action in key sites. habitats in the Wadden Sea allows birds to get into good condi- A strong theme is building long-term partnerships between photo cover: EURASIAN SPOONBILL Ron van Elst/Buiten-Beeld tion before the breeding season starts in the Arctic. governmental organizations, NGOs and local communities. 2014