The Flyway Site Network refers to the network of important sites – wetlands – used by migratory waterbirds throughout the Flyway.
The East Asian-Australasian Flyway (the Flyway) is one of nine major migratory waterbird flyways around the globe and is home to over 50 million migratory waterbirds – including shorebirds, Anatidae (ducks, geese and swans), cranes, and seabirds (for example divers, cormorants, gulls, shearwaters, and auks) – from over 250 different populations.
There are currently 900 sites recognised as internationally important to migratory waterbirds along the flyway.
One or more of the following criteria need to be met for a site to be considered as internationally important for migratory waterbirds for listing in the Flyway Site Network:
- it regularly supports > 20 000 migratory waterbirds; or,
- it regularly supports > 1 % of the individuals in a population of one species or subspecies of migratory waterbird; or,
- it supports appreciable numbers of an endangered or vulnerable population of migratory waterbird
- it is a “staging site” supporting > 5 000 waterbirds, or > 0.25% of a population stage at the site.
More information on the listing process that is undertaken by National Partners to propose new sites to the Site Network is available here and 1% thresholds are available on the Waterbird Populations Portal.
Flyway Site Network today
- Number of Flyway Network Sites: 155 Full list of sites (as of October 2024)
- Number of Countries joining Flyway Site Network: 19
(Russia 10, USA 2, Mongolia 11, China 20, Democratic People's Republic Korea 2, Republic of Korea 19, Japan 34, Bangladesh 6, Myanmar 8, Philippines 4, Thailand 3, Vietnam 1, Malaysia 1, Singapore 1, Indonesia 2, Papua New Guinea 1, Australia 25, New Zealand 4, Cambodia 1) - The total surface area of designated sites (hectares): 23,090,711
- For more information on each site, click the map location.
National Flyway Network Site Information
Republic of Singapore
Number of Flyway Network Sites: 1
Member since: 2006
The United States of America
Number of Flyway Network Sites: 2
Member since: 2006
Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Number of Flyway Network Sites: 2
Member since: 2018
Tools for development of the Flyway Site Network (2013)
An integrated and updated list of candidate sites and guidance on prioritisation
Flyway Network Site Assessment(2013)
Flyer of EAAFP Flyway Site Network and Sister Sites (2022)
- Download [here, updated on June 2022]
- To request design folder for printing and translation, please contact the [email protected].