Birdlife International

Stretching from the Arctic to southern Africa, the African-Eurasian Flyway (AEF) is one of four great global pathways used by migratory birds. These routes criss-cross the globe like ‘avian superhighways’. The AEF is used by hundreds of millions of birds every year, including large flocks of species such as Barnacle Geese, Dunlin and Wigeon.

However, all along the flyway, threats such as habitat destruction and degradation, illegal hunting and climate change threaten the future of some of its most important sites. Losing these special places would have a huge impact on the migrating birds which rely on them to breed, rest and refuel.

The funding means that Birdlife International, RSPB and and their partners can make sure key sites along the flyway are protected, well-managed and restored, and that they can reduce threats and help create a more sustainable future for migrating birds. The investment will enable the RSPB and BirdLife International to scale-up work across the flyway. This will include boosting the capacity of local conservation organisations to deliver more work on the ground and build the foundations for long-term plans which will benefit nature, people and the climate.

As part of the programme, the Birdlife International partnership will increase its work in key countries such as Iceland, Ghana and South Africa, and in important landscapes such as the East Coast Wetlands in England and the Gola Rainforest spanning Liberia and Sierra Leone. Meanwhile, BirdLife International will strengthen the collaboration and joint action of BirdLife Partners, particularly in the eastern part of the Flyway. Backed by their internationally renowned science, Birdlife International will also challenge development proposals that threaten key sites for migratory birds throughout the Flyway.

The video below on the Americans flyway tells a similar to the African-Eurasian Flyway (AEF)