The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic heightened global awareness of the need to protect nature as well as people and address threats to biodiversity. Efforts to protect migratory waterbirds and their wetland habitats provide opportunities to help improve the protection of natural capital to benefit biodiversity and people. 

Many species of waterbirds conduct long-distance seasonal migrations, and rely on coastal and inland wetlands to rest and refuel. There are nine major migratory waterbird flyways around the world. The East Asian-Australasian Flyway (EAAF) covers East and Southeast Asia and Australasia, extending across 22 countries from the Arctic Circle in the north to Australia and New Zealand in the south. Thousands of wetlands occur within the EAAF: these support over 50 million migratory waterbirds from more than 210 species, provide food and other resources for millions of people, and maintain essential ecosystem services such as flood regulation and carbon sequestration. Many of these wetlands and their biodiversity are under severe threat from agriculture, economic development, climate change, hunting, and other factors. National and international agencies are undertaking a wide range of efforts to conserve wetland biodiversity, yet these efforts are challenged by climate change, rising human populations, limited financing, and other issues. There is a recognized need to scale up these efforts through multi-sector, regional initiatives that emphasize partnerships and the achievement of benefits for nature and people. 

International development agencies traditionally had a relatively small role in biodiversity conservation, but this is changing, especially with the global drive toward “nature-positive” approaches for sustainable development. Regional flyways and wetlands are well suited to support from development agencies due to the potential for large-scale, multi-sector approaches involving biodiversity conservation, livelihoods, and sustainable development. 

In 2020, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) together with BirdLife International, the East Asian Australasian Partnership Secretariat, and other partners began exploring the development of a long-term regional program to support and enhance conservation and the sustainable management of wetlands in the EAAF. The proposed program aims to build upon and integrate into existing efforts, especially the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership, and implemented through collaboration with governments, development agencies, and civil society. This webinar discussed the challenges and opportunities towards strengthening regional action within the EAAF, focusing initially on the People’s Republic of China and Southeast Asia. It summarized the context for waterbird and wetland conservation in East and Southeast Asia; presented brief case studies and lessons learned, including the role of development agencies; and included preliminary discussion on the proposed program.