The inaugural meeting of the EAAFP Black-faced Spoonbill Working Group was held on 12 October 2013 at the EAAFP Secretariat in Songdo, South Korea.

Black-faced Spoonbill Photo © Ki-sup Lee, Korea Waterbird Network

The objectives of the Working Group, which includes representatives from all of the principal range states of Black-faced Spoonbill, are to: (1) preserve important breeding, staging and wintering habitats for the Black-faced Spoonbill; (2) encourage joint and coordinated management efforts between Flyway Network sites and reserves in all distributed regions; (3) promote exchange of information among different countries and agencies, to maintain and share a database on the Black-faced Spoonbill information and important sites; (4) carry out studies and research on the Black-faced conservation and (6) promote the sustainable use of wetlands, particularly tidal areas, and communication, public awareness and education in the region.

The participants were from South Korea, China, Japan, BirdLife International, NEASPEC and EAAFP. The Chair, Coordinator and key core members of the Working Group have been appointed and approved but additional members may be added in the future. The priorities of work were to increase awareness and visibility of the WG and identify how to involve all interested persons in its activities, to keep updating conservation activities on the EAAFP website, to continue the marking and satellite tracking work and winter census, to collect and disseminate communication, education and awareness materials and to undertake habitat studies and develop and lead conservation actions. More detailed plans for 2014 will be developed through future meetings and discussions. Visit the EAAFP Black-faced Spoonbill website