CEPA Working Group

People, their decisions and actions lie at the heart of effective wetland conservation. Local communities, Site Managers, local and national government decision-makers, educators, NGOs, and the general public all have a role to play in conserving migratory birds and their wetland habitats. Encouraging and facilitating their interest and involvement in conserving migratory bird habitat for the benefit of nature and people is the key aim of the Communication, Education, Participation and Awareness (CEPA) Working Group.

Established in 2010 at the 5th meeting of the Partners, the CEPA Working Group developed a first Communication Strategy in 2012 recognising that CEPA processes need to be used at all levels within the Partnership to achieve the objectives of the EAAF as identified in the Partnership’s Implementation Strategy. This Strategy was replaced at MOP9 with the Communication, Education, Participation and Awareness (CEPA) Strategy and Action Plan 2017-2021. This document identifies a range of skills, templates, materials and activities that will contribute to the conservation of migratory waterbirds and their habitat and bring benefits to local communities. It also clearly identifies the various implementer groups who should be taking the lead in implementation.

Working Group Chair

Mr. Casey Burns

Email: ctburns@blm.gov

Bio: Casey is the Wildlife Management and Threatened & Endangered Species Program Lead for the US Department of the Interior-Bureau of Land Management in Alaska, USA. He serves as the US representative on the Arctic Council-Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF) Terrestrial Steering Group and the CAFF Mainstreaming Biodiversity into Arctic Mining initiative, and on the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership Technical Subcommittee and Communication, Education, Participation, and Awareness (CEPA) Working Group. Casey is the coordinator of the Alaska Bird Outreach Group. Casey is involved in national pollinator, migratory bird, reptile, and amphibian coordination efforts. He has a MS in Conservation Biology from the University of Missouri-Saint Louis and BAs in Biology and Environmental Studies from Drury University. Casey has extensive experience collaborating to monitor, manage, and restore wildlife habitats on multiple-use landscapes.

 

Working Group Co Vice-Chair

Mr. Chris Rostron

Email: chris.rostron@wwt.org.uk

Bio: Chris has been working in wetland conservation and environmental CEPA activities for over 30 years. He is now based at the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT), UK, working as the International Engagement Manager, particularly engagement in CEPA activities. For the past 12 years, he has led on WLI, the global network of wetland centres, supporting delivery of CEPA activities at wetland sites. He has worked closely with the Ramsar convention, supporting their CEPA programme, and actively engaging at their COPs, CEPA oversight panel and Standing Committees, allowing him to influence and support global wetland conservation.

 

Additional resources:

CEPA case studies from the flyway

The collection of the CEPA case studies was initiated during the CEPA Workshop held in Oct 2018. The aim was to encourage sharing of CEPA work along the flyway and to archive successful stories. If you want to share your unique CEPA work, please download the Story-Telling Template and send to communication@eaaflyway.net. 

PPT delivered at CEPA Workshop (Oct 2018) 

EAA Flyway Exhibition

East Asian-Australasian Flyway Exhibitions sets of photographs or artworks that can be displayed at Flyway Network Sites (visitor centers, city events, etc.). It is not credit-free, but helps Site Managers to raise awareness at the local level. Please contact the secretariat’s Communication Officer if you would like to exhibit in your Flyway Network Site.

  1. [EAAF Exhibition 1] Eat, rest, fight, socialize – just like people
  2. [EAAF Exhibition 2] The Migration of Red Knots
  3. [EAAF Exhibition 3] Shorebirds in the Flyway: The photos in the Flyway Exhibition #3 can be made available for Flyway Network Site Managers to make their own exhibitions to promote the conservation of the EAAF.

CEPA materials (see also other Working Group pages for additional CEPA materials):

Videos:

Farewell shorebirds (BirdLife Australia)

When the conditions in the breeding grounds become very difficult due to the changing of the season birds fly to regions where conditions are better. We call this migration. Migration is the regular seasonal movement, whereby many different kinds of different birds fly over distances of hundreds to thousands of kilometers in order to find the best conditions and habitats for feeding, breeding and raising their young.

Filming Migratory Shorebirds on the Yellow Sea (Cornell Lab of Ornithology)

The Yellow Sea is located between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula. The southern part of the Yellow Sea, including the entire west coast of Korea, contains a 10 km-wide belt of intertidal mudflats. Those flats consist of highly rich benthic fauna and are of great importance for migratory waders and shorebirds. The area is the most important site for migratory birds on northward migration in the entire East Asian – Australasian Flyway.

Give beach-nesting birds a chance (BirdLife International)

Beach-nesting birds arrive in early spring to set up territories and then remain throughout the summer to lay their eggs and raise their young. The greatest threat to beach-nesting birds is disturbance from people visiting the beach. This animation shows why quietness is so important and how we can help beach-nesting birds.

Flyway animation (Common Wadden Sea Secretariat)

Migratory birds travel long distances crossing several countries during migration cycle. They often stop at suitable sites along the way to feed, breed, and rest. Conservation of migratory bird species must therefore be progressed at all important sites found on the flyways. That`s why all countries in a migration path have to work together.

The IUCN Red List: A Barometer of Life (IUCN)

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, which assesses the conservation status of species, is widely recognized as the most comprehensive, objective global approach for evaluating the conservation status of plants, animals and fungi. This video explains about what information is provided in The IUCN Red List, how this information can be used, and how The IUCN Red List is becoming an increasingly powerful ‘Barometer of Life’.

RAMSAR: The 7 Wetlands Benefits

The Ramsar Convention has published a series of videos highlighting some of the many benefits that humans can enjoy from wetlands.

News about CEPA in EAAF

World Wetlands Day 2024: Wetlands and Human Wellbeing

The First Mangrove CEPA International Symposium in Shenzhen, China committed stronger cooperation and support to CEPA for wetland.

2023 Incheon International Education Forum : Policies and Practices on Climate Change Education in North-East Asia

Engaging Events Raise Awareness on Migratory Birds and Conservation in Kushtia, Bangladesh

World Migratory Bird Day 2023 Celebrated in Aceh, Indonesia, for students with special needs “Everyone Can Protect Birds”

World Migratory Bird Day 2023: Promoting Conservation Efforts and Local Engagement in Myanmar

Aceh Bird Club Celebrates World Migratory Bird Day 2023 with Engaging Activities to Keep Water from Plastic Waste in Indonesia

Discovering local wetlands: the vital habitat of migratory birds in Mongolia

Successful Public Awareness Campaign Raises Concerns about Poaching of Migratory Birds in Bholagonj, Sylhet Division, Bangladesh

World Migratory Bird Day 2023 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia: Fostering Awareness for Water and Bird Conservation