• EAAFP and Partners participated in 11th INTECOL, New Zealand

    The 11th International Association of Ecology (INTECOL) International Wetland Conference held from 10-15 October 2021 was hosted in Christchurch, New Zealand. The 11th INTECOL focuses on ‘traditional knowledge…


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  • “Development of a Joint Inventory of the Status of Migratory Birds in the West/Yellow Sea” – Webinar summary

    On 27 May 2021, a webinar namely “Development of a Joint Inventory of the Status of Migratory Birds in the West/Yellow Sea”…


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  • Getting Getbol (intertidal mudflats) of the Republic of Korea into World Natural Heritage Site inscription

    Spoon-billed Sandpiper in Yubudo © Henrik Thorlund   The West/Yellow Sea, lies at the heart of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, a migratory route for 50 million migratory waterbirds traverse on an annual basis which stretches from Russia Far East and Alaska, U.S.A. south to Australia and New Zealand covering 22 countries. This region is surrounded by three countries: The People’s Republic of China, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPR Korea) and the Republic of Korea (RO Korea). The wetland habitats in this region, especially the intertidal mudflat in this area serve as fuelling, staging stations for two million shorebirds, or 40% of total birds in the Flyway, annually. However, the intertidal mudflat in this region has shrunk by over 65% in past decades, but recent studies in countries outside the Yellow Sea region showing rapid declines of migratory shorebirds strongly related to the loss of the birds’ habitats in the West/Yellow Sea. This illustrates the sites in different countries along the Flyway are highly interconnected due to the migratory waterbirds, and it is crucial to protect, as it is one of the world’s most important migratory bottlenecks for watebirds. The Government of the Republic of Korea has nominated 4 sites of intertidal mudflats, or “Getbol” in Korean, on the country’s southwestern coast of the Yellow/West Sea as the candidate of UNESCO’s World Heritage listing. This group of four sites included in the Phase I nomination are Seocheon Getbol (EAAF101), Gochang Getbol, Shinan Getbol (EAAF146) and Boseong-Suncheon Getbol (EAAF079), covering over 128,000 ha (or 1280 km2) of wetlands. Apart from its spectacular geological processes, these areas are rich in biodiversity, with 2,169 invertebrate species, 857 macrobenthos, 152 marine macroalgae, 47 endemic and 5 endangered marine invertebrate species recorded. The richly diverse benthic community supports a huge number of migratory waterbirds. In addition, the endangered Narrow-ridged Finless Porpoise is often found in the waters within the nominated sites. Hooded Crane in Suncehon Bay © Suncheon City Office Bird surveys have revealed that these sites supported 102 waterbird species and some 34 species with internationally important numbers. The sites were crucial for 15 globally threatened waterbird species including Spoon-billed Sandpiper (CR), Far Eastern Curlew (EN), Nordmann’s Greenshank (EN), Great Knot (EN), Black-faced Spoonbill (EN), Hooded Crane (VU), Saunders’s Gull (VU), Chinese Egret (VU) Swan Goose (VU), Relict Gull (VU), Horned Grebe (VU), White-naped Crane (VU) and Common Pochard (VU). The nomination would also secure the reintroduced population of Oriental Stork (EN). Legflag observations and satellite tracking data furthered confirmed the nominated sites interlinked with other countries in the Flyway. Because of such ecological connectivity of the migratory waterbirds along the Flyway, the World Heritage inscription is not just a matter to the Republic of Korea, as it contributes to assuring that the critical staging area for migratory waterbirds in the Flyway is secured. It is essential to safeguard the integrity of Yellow/West Sea intertidal flat, together with the on-going designation of World Heritage Sites along China coast of the Yellow Sea and potentially with the habitats along DPR Korea at a future date. The future of millions of migratory waterbirds now lay on the hands of the World Heritage Committee to agree on the “Outstanding Universal Value” of this Getbol nomination. The result announcement for this nomination will be made at the upcoming annual meeting of the World Heritage Committee in China in July 2021. Watch the video about the Getbol: Click [here] or the image to enjoy the photo book: Suncheon Bay © Suncheon City Government


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  • West/Yellow Sea Webinar – “Development of a Joint Inventory of the Status of Migratory Birds in the West/Yellow Sea”

    The EAAFP Secretariat, together with IUCN, Ramsar Regional Center – East Asia are hosting a webinar on the “Development of a Joint Inventory of the Status of Migratory Birds in the West/Yellow Sea” on 27 May at 2:30pm - 6pm (KST) to share views on the key species, population trends and habitats in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, with particular focus on the West/Yellow Sea region and discuss future collaboration. National Partners and acknowledgeable scholars will present and discuss on the topic. Title: Development of a Joint Inventory of the Status of Migratory Birds in the West/Yellow Sea Date: 14:30 – 18:00, 27 May 2021 (Thursday, KST) Organizers: EAAFP Secretariat, IUCN Asia Office, RRC-EA (Secretariat of the Working Group on the Conservation of the West/Yellow/West Sea Intertidal and Associated Coastal Wetlands) Sponsors: World Heritage Promotion Team of Korean Tidal Flats, Hanns Seidel Foundation Participants: EAAF Countries partners, Representatives from the Ministries of ROK, DPRK and PRC, IUCN, EAAFP, RRC-EA, International Organizations, Researchers, Experts and local NGO Meeting Platform: Zoom https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcqc-Gupj0rHte5LwCPn5COTt-nRVg5A_ti Moderator: Ms. Hyeseon Do, Programme Officer, EAAFP Secretariat Program/Timetable Key Note Speaker: Title:  Prof. Richard Fuller Prof. Richard Fuller is a Professor at the University of Queensland. He studies how people have affected the natural world around them, and how some of our destructive effects can best be reversed. To answer these questions, the lab group works on pure and applied topics in biodiversity and conservation, spanning the fields of migration ecology, conservation planning and urban ecology. Much of their work is interdisciplinary, focusing on the interactions between people and nature, how these can be enhanced, and how these relationships can be shaped to converge on coherent solutions to the biodiversity crisis. They have devoted much of the last 10 years to understanding why East Asian-Australasian migratory shorebirds have declined so rapidly and what can be done to reverse those declines.  


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  • 2020 Yellow & Bohai Sea Coastal Wetlands Symposium and establishment of Yellow Sea Wetland Institute in China

    Since the Coast of Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf of China (Phase I) in Yancheng was inscribed in the as UNESCO’s Natural World Heritage site on 5th…


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  • First Meeting of YSLME Habitat WG in Songdo, Incheon

    Spike Millington, Chief Executive …


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  • A step forward for threatened migratory waterbirds in Incheon, Korea

      Incheon and Gyeonggi tidal flats are important for a great number of migratory bird species, which are now at risk through rapid urban development and reclamation of coastal areas….


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