Flyways as a Mechanism to Scale Up Nature-Positive Impact in Asia and the Pacific
The ADB Regional Flyway Initiative (RFI) is one of ADB’s flagship nature-positive programs, aiming to scale up wetlands' protection and sustainable management along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway. In collaboration with the East-Asian Australasian Flyway Partnership (EAAFP) and key delivery partner BirdLife International, the RFI has now started to see progress in its aim of mobilizing $3 billion for the initiative over the next ten years, and in 2024, we are now seeing project loans and grants being processed.
The success of the RFI is now being replicated in other regions through the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF), Audubon, and BirdLife International through the Americas Flyway Initiative, and there is now growing interest in developing further flyway-focused programs for the Africa-Eurasia Flyway and Central Asian Flyway.
Given the growing interest, this session explored experiences from the different flyways to examine why flyways could serve as a mechanism to deliver regional impact for wetland conservation, support livelihoods, and strengthen climate resilience. The session also considered whether different approaches were needed for the various flyways and how partnerships could be built to advance these regional initiatives beyond the high-interest ‘development phase’ to the critical ‘implementation phase.’
The event included a keynote presentation from BirdLife International introducing flyways and a panel discussion with different organizations involved in flyways, including Audubon and Agence Française de Développement (AFD).
The Philippines, Cambodia, and Japan governments also shared their experiences at the country level, providing perspectives on challenges and opportunities and discussing potential strategies to address the funding gap.
The session concluded with remarks from the World Bank, which offered insights on the different approaches needed for each flyway.
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| Date | Session / Activity | Presentation Material | Speaker(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Oct 2024 | Introduction | Duncan Lang, Senior Environment Specialist, Asian Development Bank | |
| 24 Oct 2024 | Message of Support | Video Message | Jennifer George, Chief Executive, East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership Secretariat |
| 24 Oct 2024 | Keynote Presentation | Importance of Flyways | Martin Harper, CEO, BirdLife International |
| 24 Oct 2024 | Progress Update on the Regional Flyway Initiative (RFI) | Duncan Lang, Senior Environment Specialist, Asian Development Bank | |
| 24 Oct 2024 | Panel Discussion |
Panelists: Marshall Johnson, Chief Conservation Officer, Audubon Marie-Cécile Thirion, Agence Française de Développement Ruth Tiffer-Sotomayor, Senior Environment Specialist, World Bank Wataru Suzuki, Director, Ministry of Environment, Japan |
|
| 24 Oct 2024 | Questions and Answers | All Panelists | |
| 24 Oct 2024 | Panel Quickfire Wrap-up | All Panelists | |
| 24 Oct 2024 | Closing Remarks | Jerker Tamelander, Director of Science and Policy, Ramsar Secretariat |