Mobilising action for migratory birds

At this time of year, some 90 million birds from Northern Europe and the Arctic are migrating to Africa via the East Atlantic Flyway. They depend on a fragile chain of feeding, resting and wintering sites for their survival. Sadly, many migratory bird populations are declining rapidly and need urgent conservation action.

Recently, NatureBureau has been engaged by the East Atlantic Flyway Initiative (EAFI), which is led by BirdLife Partners from the Arctic to South Africa, to help identify priorities for addressing threats to migratory birds, building partner capacity, and promoting a local-to-global conservation approach. In line with the EU Natura 2000 Biogeographical Process (also supported by NatureBureau), EAFI partners from Poland, Ireland, and Spain organised events to assess the conservation needs of migratory birds. These events involved over 80 professionals from 18 countries, fostering cross-border cooperation and supporting the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030.

The resulting overall report outlines key actions within five themes: communication, human resources, advocacy, research, and direct measures to improve the conservation status of migratory birds within the EU. These include meeting EU Biodiversity Strategy targets, developing Nature Restoration Plans by 2026, and integrating projects for LIFE+ priority species.

Photo: Black-tailed godwit, Paul Goriup