WHSRN Participates in Global Flyways Network Meeting in South Korea

WHSRNews: 05 January 2012

A multilingual sign welcomed the Global Flyways Workshop participants. / © Charles Duncan

In October 2011, Dr. Charles Duncan, Director of the WHSRN Executive Office, made a significant diversion from his usual north-south flight pattern in the Western Hemisphere to venture east—as in way east—to Seosan, Republic of Korea. He was one of five representatives from our hemisphere invited to participate in an international workshop on the major flyway-scale bird conservation efforts underway around the world. “I was honored to have been among the two dozen representatives invited worldwide,” said Duncan. “It is really a tribute to the innovation and long history of success of WHSRN. I’m equally grateful for the generous support for my travel expenses by the workshop sponsors.”

The workshop was convened by the Ramsar Convention Secretariat, UNEP Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), UNEP/AEWA Secretariat, BirdLife International, Wetlands International, and the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership (EAAFP) Secretariat. A total of 26 participants and nine observers representing 21 national and international organizations attended the workshop, held at Hanseo University in Seosan, Republic of Korea, and sponsored by the City of Seosan, the Government of Switzerland, and the EEAFP Secretariat.

Partners in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway have recognized 700 sites for importance to migratory birds. / Courtesy of EEAFP

The EEAFP, a “sister network” to WHSRN with Alaska in common, extends from within the Arctic Circle in Russia and Alaska, southwards through East and Southeast Asia, and Australia and New Zealand. Since 2006, partners therein have recognized 700 sites in 22 countries for their importance at an international level for the 50 million migratory waterbirds, including shorebirds, living in this vast flyway.

For four days, the diverse group exchanged best practices and lessons-learned to strengthen their large-scale, multi-national, migratory bird conservation networks. All recognized the value of sharing knowledge and experiences across flyway initiatives, and did so enthusiastically. By request, Dr. Duncan gave a total of six short presentations on various aspects of WHSRN, and also co-facilitated the session on addressing site/habitat conservation through the flyway approach with Dr. Vicky Jones, Global Flyways Officer for BirdLife International. “The short talks I presented were quite well-received,” Duncan reflected. “For many participants, understanding the power of a voluntary network without legal or contractual basis was a revelation.”

Workshop participants enjoyed getting to know each other during the opening night dinner. / Courtesy of Charles Duncan

Based on their positive experiences during the workshop, participants agreed to establish a means for maintaining communication between their initiatives, called the “Global Interflyway Network.” Dr. Duncan explained that, “A ‘network among the networks’ will facilitate our staying connected and sharing information into the future, ever learning and improving what we do.”

A summary report of the workshop’s conclusions and recommendations is being reviewed by the CMS Scientific Council, with the full workshop report to follow as a joint Ramsar/CMS/AEWA Technical Report publication.

For more information, contact Charles Duncan (cduncan@manomet.org), Director of the WHSRN Executive Office, Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences.

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