Welcoming a new Partner, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

We are very pleased to announce that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPR Korea) became the 36th Partner of the East Asian – Australasian Flyway Partnership (EAAFP) on 11 April 2018 and has nominated Kumya Wetland Reserve [EAAF044] and Mundok Migratory Bird Reserve [EAAF045] as their first two East Asian – Australasian Flyway Network Sites.

In recent years, the DPR Korea has been increasingly active in collaborating with international organizations to identify priority areas for the conservation of migratory waterbirds through survey and monitoring projects along their coastal and inland wetlands. The country has also initiated an inventory of their countries’ wetlands which will yield important information on the biodiversity of those areas and the services that they provide for people.

Please warmly welcome their official accession to EAAFP.

Below is the Press release .

Title: The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPR Korea) to become the 36th Partner of East Asian – Australasian Flyway Partnership (EAAFP)

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPR Korea) has become the 36th Partner of East Asian – Australasian Flyway Partnership (EAAFP, http://eaaflyway.net/). EAAFP is a network of Partners within the East Asian – Australasian Flyway (EAAF) with the aims to protect migratory waterbirds, their habitat and the livelihoods of people dependent upon them. There are currently 36 Partners including countries, intergovernmental agencies, international non-governmental organizations and international private enterprise. 

The DPR Korea submitted the application in December 2016 and after the consultation with Partners and host country – Republic of Korea, it was officially accepted by the EAAFP Management Committee on 11 April 2018. The Mundok Migratory Bird Reserve and Kumya Wetland Reserve have been nominated as their first two East Asian – Australasian Flyway Network Sites.

In recent years, the DPRK has been increasingly active in collaborating with international organizations to identify priority areas for the conservation of migratory waterbirds through survey and monitoring projects along their coastal and inland wetlands. The country has also initiated an inventory of their countries’ wetlands which will yield important information on the biodiversity of those areas and the services that they provide for people.

DPR Korea has also designated the Mundok Migratory Bird Reserve and Rason Migratory Bird Reserve as its first two Ramsar Sites and will become a member of the 170th Contracting Party to the Convention on Wetlands on 16 May 2018.

The Mundok Migratory Bird Reserve is an internationally important for supporting globally threatened migratory birds, of which it hosts some 50% of the world population. It supports more than 1% of the population of a number of other shorebird species on the East Asian – Australasian Flyway (EAAF)

Through this accession, with the cooperation with the Republic of Korea and China, the EAAFP will support to implement and guide programmes, monitoring and activities to strengthen habitat and species protection along the EAAF, especially the Yellow Sea region.

On 16 May 2018, as the Chief Executive of EAAFP, Dr. Lew Young will attend the “National Workshop on the Conservation and Wise Use of Wetland” and “World Migratory Bird Day Ceremony” to celebrate the accession of the DPR Korea to EAAFP and the Ramsar Convention on Wetland that is planned to be held in Pyongyang.

About East Asian – Australasian Flyway Partnership (EAAFP)

Adopted in the list of the World Summit on Sustainable Development as a Type II initiative which is informal and voluntary, the EAAFP Partnership was launched on 6 November 2006 and aims to protect migratory waterbirds, their habitat and the livelihoods of people dependent upon them. There are currently 36 Partners including 17 countries, 6 intergovernmental agencies, 11 international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and 1 international private enterprise. 

There are nine major migratory routes around the world, of which the East Asian-Australasian Migratory Bird Flyway (EAAF) encompasses 22 countries, from the Russia Far East and Alaska, southwards through East Asia and South-east Asia, to Australia and New Zealand. 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. 

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