Flyways – protecting birds across the world
Birds make vast journeys across land and sea. Sharing knowledge between countries helps protect them throughout their yearly cycles.
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RSPB and the BirdLife International Global Flyways Programme
The RSPB leads the policy work of the BirdLife International Global Flyways Programme, including providing the BirdLife representative for the UN Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS). This is the only global animal conservation agreement (apart from CITES that focusses on trade).
We also lead on other international processes relevant to migratory bird conservation such as the Arctic Migratory Birds Initiative (AMBI) of the Arctic Council.
Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds
Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation of Migratory Birds of Prey in Africa and Eurasia
The Flyway approach
Migratory birds cross countries during their yearly cycle. The flyway approach recognises that efforts to protect them must also cross borders. In practice, this looks like concerted, cooperative international action involving every conservation skill – science and monitoring, site and species management on the ground, public education and influencing government action, including through international agreements. This conservation approach ensures that methods which are proven to work locally and nationally, including by the BirdLife Partnership, are put in place internationally.
The priorities of this approach:
- Ending illegal killing
On behalf of BirdLife-supporting governments, the RSPB leads work to end the illegal killing, taking and trade of birds.
We are especially involved with an intergovernmental task force to prevent these illegal practices in the Mediterranean and Europe. A similar group covers the East Asian Australasian Flyway. Another is being formed for West Asia.
- Energy Infrastructure
The RSPB was instrumental in the establishment of the Convention on Migratory Species Energy Task Force which is coordinated by BirdLife International. It works with governments, investors, the energy industry and other stakeholders to minimise the destructive impact of energy infrastructure – like powerlines and wind farms – on migratory birds around the world.
- Protecting coastal Waterbirds
Coastal waterbirds are some of the most threatened migratory birds globally. The RSPB leads BirdLife's international work to encourage governments to conserve coastal wetlands. In the Yellow Sea, home to the most important coastal wetland sites in the world, unsustainable development has caused an extinction crisis, especially for critically endangered spoon-billed sandpipers. The RSPB helped prevent plans to destroy these wetland sites from becoming a reality, supporting China and South Korea to protect them as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
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- Promoting Conservation of Critical Intertidal and Other Coastal Habitats for Migratory Species
- Promoting the conservation and wise use of intertidal wetlands and ecologically-associated habitats
- Cooperation with other conventions, international organizations and initiatives
- Enhancing the resilience of coastal areas in the face of climate change, biodiversity crisis and rapid coastal development
- Sustainable land use in Africa
The RSPB led work to establish the CMS African-Eurasian Migratory Landbirds Action Plan (AEMLAP) which works with governments of countries on the African-Eurasian flyway to protect all non-marine migratory birds not covered by AEWA (for waterbirds) and the Raptors MoU.
The focus is on making sure land use in Africa is sustainable, through collaboration with the likes of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and the Pan African Great Green Wall Initiative.
- Managing legal hunting
As well as work to eliminate the illegal killing of birds, RSPB works to ensure any legal hunting, or killing of migratory birds in conflict with humans, doesn’t drive population declines. We engage with the European Goose Management Platform, the first European intergovernmental attempt to manage harvest of particular species, similar European Commission work for Turtle Dove, and work to ban the use of lead ammunition to prevent bird poisoning.
