Introduction
The Asian Development Bank launched a Regional Flyway Initiative (RFI) in October 2021 at the Ecological Civilization Forum of the 15th Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP15). With East Asian–Australasian Flyway Partnership (EAAFP) Secretariat, BirdLife International, and other key partners, RFI will mobilize large-scale financing to support the protection, maintenance, and restoration of wetlands in East and Southeast Asia, focusing on coastal wetlands. The Regional Flyway Initiative aims to preserve wetlands across the region, which are crucial for the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people and the migratory waterbirds in Asia and the Pacific.
The Regional Flyway Initiative is looking to develop a long-term program to protect and restore EAAF wetland ecosystems and the services they provide. This will be accomplished through partnerships among governments, nongovernment organizations, communities, regional organizations, development agencies, the private sector, and other stakeholders. It will build on and collaborate with past and ongoing activities in the EAAF to ensure that opportunities for synergy are realized and duplication of efforts is avoided. Migratory waterbirds will provide a focus for RFI activities, as firstly their use of wetlands across the EAAF makes them the perfect barometer for regional and global environmental change, and secondly waterbird international appeal provides the perfect species group to capture the public imagination and so increasing further buy-in to protect and sustainably manage these wetlands as a “string of pearls” for generations to come. (For more information)
This knowledge page archives RFI-related documents, articles, media, and events for information sharing.
RFI Key Partners
Key Documents
Events (Webinars and Meetings)
Date | Event |
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24 February 2022 | [IBBRI 5th Annual Meeting] In the last session of the meeting, EAAFP Secretariat and BirdLife International jointly presented the RFI, a long-term investment program to finance nature conservation and restore internationally important wetlands in the EAA Flyway for migratory waterbirds and local communities. - Article |
6-7 December 2021 | [RFI Inception Workshop] The workshop presented the initiative’s goals, key deliverables, and timelines while soliciting input from stakeholders. The workshop also gathered significant inputs toward the site selection framework development, key capacity needs for the management, wetlands protection, and ecosystem services assessment. - Programs and Presentation Materials - Article |
10 November 2021 | [BirdLife International Webinar] Discussing the East Asian Australasian Flyway Initiative The webinar briefed the RFI with a dialogue among Global Environment Facility, BirdLife International, Asian Development Bank, and EAAFP to discuss how the initiative can contribute to the conservation and restoration of wetlands and migratory waterbirds while tackling climate change impacts. - Article |
2 November 2021 | [UNFCCC COP26] Scaling up the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Initiative The event highlighted the importance of conservation and restoration of wetlands and migratory waterbirds who depend on these wetlands and how the Regional Flyway Initiative will contribute to tackling the climate change impact. - Recording - Article 1 / Article 2 |
14 October 2021 | [Official Launching of Regional Flyway Initiative] The initiative was officially launched on 14 October at CBD COP15 in Kunming, the People’s Republic of China. The Initiative was introduced during the Sub-Forum of Mainstreaming Ecological Civilization and Biodiversity Conservation, Dialogue III Biodiversity mainstreaming, and Livelihoods in wetlands. - Recording - Article |
6 October 2021 | [EAAFP Webinar] Government Focal Points on the ADB Regional Flyway Initiative The webinar provides RFI eligible EAAFP country Partners with more information on the Initiative and introduces the implementation plan of the Technical Assistance project for the next two years. - Article |
Articles
Publications
Useful Links
Contact
Yoon Kyung, Lee (maternity leave until Nov 2023) External Relations Manager [email protected] |
Cynthia, Adeline Layusa RFI EAAFP Coordinator [email protected] |
Hee-Jin, Oh Junior Researcher Consultant [email protected] |