The purpose of this Partnership is to provide a flyway-wide framework to promote dialogue, cooperation and collaboration between a range of stakeholders, including all levels of governments, site managers, multilateral environmental agreements, technical institutions, UN agencies, development agencies, industrial and private sector, academe, non-governmental organisations, community groups and local people to conserve migratory waterbirds and their habitats, considering both people and biodiversity of the of the East Asian - Australasian Flyway.

1. Develop the Flyway Site Network of international importance for the conservation of migratory waterbirds.

2. Enhance communication, education and public awareness of the values of migratory waterbirds and their habitats.

3. Enhance flyway research and monitoring activities, build knowledge and promote exchange of information on waterbirds and their habitats.

4. Build the habitat and waterbird management capacity of natural resource managers, decision makers and local stakeholders.

5. Develop, especially for priority species and habitats, flyway wide approaches to enhance the conservation status of migratory waterbirds.

The routes that migratory waterbirds traverse on an annual basis are known as 'flyways'. There are nine major flyway around the world. The East Asian - Australasian Flyway (EAAF) stretches from the Russian Far East and Alaska, southwards through East Asia and South-east Asia, to Australia and New Zealand and encompasses 22 countries. The EAAF is home to over 50 million migratory waterbirds from over 250  different populations, including 32 globally threatened species and 19 Near Threatened species. During migration, waterbirds rely on a system of highly productive wetlands to rest and feed, building up sufficient energy to fuel the next phase of their journey. International cooperation across their migratory range is therefore essential to conserve and protect migratory waterbirds and the habitats on which they depend.

Nine major migratory flyways of waterbirds