Identifying priority wetland sites in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway for migratory bird conservation

TL;DR

This paper identifies 147 high-priority wetland sites in Asia to protect migratory birds and their habitats amid environmental threats.

Contribution

The study introduces a new method to identify priority wetlands using updated waterbird count data and population thresholds.

Findings

147 wetland sites across 10 countries were identified as high conservation priority.

At least 34 threatened species with significant global populations are represented in these sites.

Abstract

The East Asian-Australasian Flyway (EAAF) is widely recognised to be the most threatened of the eight flyways in the world, with wetlands rapidly lost due to land cover change, unsustainable use, and the wider impacts of climate change. The recently established EAAF Regional Flyway Initiative (RFI) aims to bring a set of priority wetlands in the EAAF under improved protection, management, and restoration in 10 Asian countries, while mobilising resources for sustainable agriculture, aquaculture, ecotourism, and other livelihoods for local communities. A major step in the development of this initiative is the identification of priority wetland sites through the application of international criteria, based on modern waterbird count data collated from wetland sites across Asia. Through existing analyses and expert consultations, we short-listed a minimum of 270 internationally important wetlands as candidate localities for further assessment. Count data of EAAF waterbird species was then assessed against international criteria aligned with the Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar Convention), the EAAF Partnership’s Flyway Site Network and Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas for each site to iteratively identify a subset of priority sites, drawing on newly available species population thresholds. Each site was scored and ranked using a metric (Prioritisation Criterion 1) calculated from the proportions of every occurring EAAF species against published population thresholds. We identified a total of 147 wetland sites of high conservation priority across the 10 countries, both freshwater and coastal. At least 34 threatened species, including significant proportions of their global populations are represented in this set of 147 sites. To ensure that conservation opportunities are maximised for species and ecosystem services, there is a need to ensure that selected sites and landscapes are reconciled with the conservation and development priorities of each country, ecological connectivity and to evaluate priority sites for their ecosystem services.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1038/s41598-025-31727-2.

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