First EAAF Shorebird Conservation Forum & Shorebird Working Group Meetings held in Beijing on 18 Oct 2024
Jian Huang, Yuzhu Yin, Honglei Li, Yifei Jia, Samuel Ng, David Li
EAAFP Shorebird Working Group
The “EAAF Shorebird Conservation Forum & Shorebird Working Group Meetings” jointly organized by Beijing Forestry University, Jiangsu Yancheng National Rare Bird Nature Reserve, Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve (Singapore), Mangrove Conservation Foundation, and EAAFP Shorebird Working Group, was successfully held at Xiamen Air Jianianhua Hotel in Beijing on 18 Oct 2024. The forum was held as an important part of the 1st EAAFP Science Symposium, which aims to strengthen research, cooperation on shorebird conservation in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway (EAAF), and promote regional ecological protection.
The opening ceremony of the forum was hosted by Mr. David Li, Chair of the EAAFP Shorebird Working Group. Prof. Lei Guangchun from Beijing Forestry University Center for EAAF Studies (CEAAF), Mr. Zhizhou Chen, Director of Jiangsu Yancheng National Rare Bird Nature Reserve, Ms. Jennifer George, Chief of the EAAFP, and Mr. Yang Fengwei, Deputy Director General of the Wetland Department of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration of China, delivered speeches at the opening ceremony, congratulating the successful holding of the forum and expressing their expectations for the shorebird conservation work.
The forum consisted of two keynote speeches and three thematic sessions, covering topics such as the status of the World Heritage site in the Yellow and Bohai Sea, waterbird monitoring, shorebird migration research, species conservation, and habitat management.
Experts and scholars from China, Russia, the United States, Indonesia and Thailand, shared their latest research results and practical experience, providing important scientific information and recommendations for shorebird conservation. The species discussed included Nordmann’s Greenshank, Spoon-billed Sandpiper, and Pied Avocet. Detailed presentations were also made on tracking of whimbrels and grey plovers and habitat management in Yancheng, Tiaozini and Mai Po Nature Reserve.
The EAAFP Shorebird Working Group (SWG), Spoon-billed Sandpiper Task Force and SWG Nordmann’s Greenshank Conservation Sub-Group continued the meeting in the afternoon where organizers reported recent progress to their members and discussed their workplans. The SWG Dunlin interest group met on 19 Oct morning where they discussed how to conduct a focused tracking study of the species on the nonbreeding grounds.
The Shorebird Conservation Forum has successfully built an important platform for experts to communicate with each other on shorebird conservation in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway and promoted the in-depth development of regional ecological protection cooperation. The participants expressed that they will further strengthen cooperation, jointly respond to the challenges of shorebird conservation, and contribute to the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.
Group photo of the EAAF Shorebird Conservation Forum & Shorebird Working Group Meetings
