With the recent setup of the Project Coordination Unit (PCU), the African-Eurasian Flyways Project, now renamed as Wings over Wetlands (WOW) has been given an important boost. The Wings Over Wetlands project is the largest international wetland and waterbird conservation initiative ever to take place in the African-Eurasian region and its start marks the beginning of a new era for AEWA.

The project's aim is to improve the conservation status of migratory waterbirds by enhancing and coordinating efforts to conserve some of the key wetland areas along the main bird migration routes (flyways) across the three continents. Support for this major flyway initiative is coming from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the German Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, the AEWA Secretariat and several other donors.

"The project pulls together the efforts of Wetlands International, BirdLife International, Ramsar, AEWA and many other leading organisations and supporting Governments dedicated to international waterbird and wetlands conservation. It is the largest flyway-scale conservation project ever in the AEWA region, involving over a dozen different countries and a number of key wetland areas important for our species," says Bert Lenten, the Executive Secretary of UNEP/AEWA - the international treaty organisation dedicated to the conservation of migratory waterbird species in the entire African-Eurasian region.

For AEWA, which has committed more than US$ 1 million over five years to the project, Wings Over Wetlands represents the most ambitious and promising waterbird conservation project it has supported in its ten-year history. A large proportion of AEWA's Implementation Priorities will be addressed through activities planned for in the project, and much of the outreach and communication work done under the project will also help to further promote the Agreement as a legally binding tool for international waterbird conservation in the African-Eurasian region. A total of eleven important wetland areas in 12 countries, ranging from the famous Biharugra's Fishponds in Hungary to the Wakkerstoom Wetlands in South Africa, plus nine other critical wetland areas throughout the AEWA region will directly benefit from the five-year project.

The improved habitat management and wetland conservation efforts resulting from the project at the eleven demonstration sites represent the beginning of a much needed coherent network of wetland areas in the African-Eurasian region. Ultimately, this patchwork of better-managed and protected sites will also lead to improved resting and refuelling habitats for migratory waterbirds on their perilous journeys along the African-Eurasian flyways.

"The Wings Over Wetlands project is a unique opportunity to showcase the flyway approach for the benefit of species, habitats and people, and provides the framework for the implementation of a large proportion of priority activities under AEWA. It should also be seen as a pioneer project, leading the way towards similar international efforts to support the implementation of other flyway initiatives," explains Ward Hagemeijer, the Head of Biodiversity and Ecological Networks at Wetlands International and the programme supervisor for the project at the conservation NGO.

Through its unique flyway-scale conservation approach, Wings Over Wetlands will not only unite international conservation efforts to improve the conditions and management of key wetland sites, it will also promote cooperation between site managers working on the ground at the eleven demonstration projects, and will highlight the need to protect wetland areas along the entire flyways - stretching across Africa, Europe and the Middle East.

The WOW project is a joint effort between UNEP-GEF, the United Nations Office of Project Services (UNOPS), Wetlands International and BirdLife International, and will operate in close coordination with the UNEP/AEWA Secretariat, the Ramsar Convention and a wide range of local partners along the African-Eurasian flyways.

The operational heart of the project is the Project Coordination Unit (PCU) consisting of two project officers employed by UNOPS and located within the offices of Wetlands International in Wageningen, The Netherlands. The PCU, which began operating on 31 July this year, is the primary vehicle for project coordination and the central hub for day to day operations and communication with the different stakeholders and partners involved in the project.

"The setting up of the PCU is an important first step towards the implementation of the Wings Over Wetlands - African-Eurasian Flyways Project. We are happy to be finally on board, and are fully committed to supporting all project partners at the international and country level. We trust this initiative will play a critical role in the conservation of globally important habitats and biodiversity on a flyway scale," said Edoardo Zandri, the project's Chief Technical Advisor in the project's first official newsletter. The Wings Over Wetlands project is also being endorsed by AEWA's mother convention on migratory species, UNEP/CMS.

"CMS has strongly supported the development of the African-Eurasian Flyways Project from the start. This is the largest species project currently under way in the CMS family of Agreements, and the project will inevitably promote international cooperation between governments, IGOs and NGOs, local communities and the private sector. However, it is now absolutely crucial that this project is turned into effective outcomes on the ground," underlines Robert Hepworth, the Executive Secretary of the global convention.