United for Flyways: African and Eurasian Nations Gather for UN Waterbird Conservation Meeting as New Status Report Guides Action

Governments to set priorities for migratory waterbird conservation across 119-country range of African-Eurasian flyways, while new conservation status report spotlights key pressures and responses

Bonn, 11 November 2025 — The 9th Session of the Meeting of the Parties (MOP9) to the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) opened today in Bonn, Germany, under the theme “United for Flyways.”

From 11–14 November, the UN-backed treaty’s main decision-making body will convene delegations from more than 60 AEWA Parties, along with Non-Party Range State observers, NGOs, and experts, to assess implementation progress and decide future direction and priorities for migratory waterbird conservation.

Continuing its tradition since MOP1, the inter-governmental treaty released the 9th edition of its Report on the Conservation Status of Migratory Waterbirds in the Agreement Area (CSR9), which for the first time systematically assesses threats to waterbird populations and offers recommendations to address them.

AEWA’s range spans countries from the Arctic's Siberian tundra to Africa's southern tip, covering 560 populations of waterbird and seabird species like the White Stork, Shoebill, African Penguin, and Grey Crowned Crane. These migratory birds indicate environmental health and offer ecological, economic, social, cultural, and recreational benefits—including birdwatching, hunting—and subsistence to millions of people along their migratory paths.

9th edition of the Report on the Conservation Status of Migratory Waterbirds (CSR9): Compiling Threats and Charting Solutions

Prepared every three years, the 9th edition of the Report on the Conservation Status of Migratory Waterbirds in the Agreement Area (CSR9) provides the clearest picture to date into the complex web of threats migratory waterbird populations face—such as unsustainable hunting, infrastructure development and agricultural expansion — while also recommending urgent, coordinated action to recover threatened species, ensure sustainable use, complete and cohere the network of key sites and conserve habitats in the wider environment among other recommendations across the African-Eurasian flyways.

Among its key findings:

• Three main groups of threats impact AEWA-listed migratory waterbird populations:
  • Biological resource use affects 42 per cent of assessed populations. This pressure includes hunting, illegal killing, incidental killing and bycatch.
  • Infrastructure development impacts 40 per cent of assessed populations. Infrastructure includes those related to sports, tourism, and leisure activities, the conversion of wetlands into settlements and recreational areas, and the modification of coastal conditions.
  • Agriculture influences 39 per cent of assessed populations. Agriculture-related activities include drainage for land use and the conversion from one agricultural land use to another. Drainage for agriculture and for urban/industrial development alone affects the habitat of one-third of AEWA-listed waterbird populations. The pattern and intensity of threats vary by region and taxonomic group.
  • Other significant pressures include climate change, invasive alien species, problematic native species, and human-induced hydrological changes.
• Species Action and Management Plans address most threatened species, but many are far from being fully implemented.
  • AEWA has adopted 28 International Species Action Plans (ISAPs) for implementing coordinated measures to restore migratory waterbird species to a favourable conservation status and established three International Species Management Plans (ISMPs) to, amongst other objectives, control populations that cause significant damage to agriculture and effects on ecosystems due to increasing abundances.
  • All Critically Endangered and Endangered species are covered by ISAPs, but 11 of 19 Vulnerable species lack such plans.
  • Only 10 per cent of ISAPs (3 out of 28) have achieved measurable conservation gains, such as stabilised or recovering populations;
  • For half of the ISAPs (14 out of 28), the overall conservation status has worsened.
• Flyway Site Network identification and maintenance: strong reach, uneven coverage.
• Only 40 per cent of AEWA Parties have identified and submitted their national inventories of important waterbird sites.
• 92 per cent of AEWA-listed species (234 out of 255) have at least one site nominated for the Flyway Site Network.
• The protection of key sites is incomplete, especially outside the European Union’s Natura 2000 network.
• Habitat conservation in the wider environment is lagging. Habitat conservation beyond designated sites is limited and uneven, leaving many dispersed species vulnerable to threats like wetland drainage, intensive farming, and infrastructure development.
  • The majority of the 255 AEWA-listed species are associated with widespread habitats such as inland wetlands (78 per cent or 198 out of 255), coastal/marine habitats (75 per cent or 193 out of 255), and grassland/agricultural habitats (56 per cent or 142 out of 255).
  • Policies and conservation efforts focusing on these habitat types are essential for the preservation of AEWA species.
  • Only one third (35 per cent) of the 29 AEWA Parties that have submitted national reports indicate having identified habitat conservation priorities.

Key recommendations for priority action include:

• Enhance recovery efforts for threatened species: Extend and update International Species Action Plans (ISAPs), prioritise the most endangered species, and streamline evaluation of plans.
• Ensure sustainable harvest of waterbirds: Regulate hunting through national legislation, enforce compliance, and prohibit harvesting where sustainability cannot be guaranteed.
• Develop a coherent network of protected sites: Complete national site inventories, strengthen the AEWA Flyway Site Network, and implement a robust site monitoring system.
• Integrate waterbird needs into sectoral policies: Incorporate habitat conservation priorities into land-use and marine spatial planning, and monitor key threats such as drainage and land conversion.
• Address invasive alien species: Prevent introductions, restore affected habitats, and establish control measures for non-native species.
• Tackle threats to health in wild bird populations, especially from highly pathogenic avian influenza: Improve preparedness, monitoring and surveillance, and international cooperation to manage outbreaks effectively.
• Adapt to climate change: Apply existing guidance to help waterbirds and their habitats cope with changing conditions.

What to watch for at MOP9

The four-day meeting comes as 2025 marks AEWA’s 30th Anniversary, providing a pivotal opportunity for governments and other stakeholders to reflect on three decades of international collaboration for waterbird conservation while setting new priorities and strategies for the future. With the backdrop of achievements and ongoing challenges, participants will engage in policy refinement, adoption of species action and management plans revisions.

Policy and strategic decisions

• Parties address a wide range of topics, including implementation of the AEWA Strategic Plan and the Plan of Action for Africa, proposed amendments to the Agreement and its Annexes, and national reporting.
• The meeting will also discuss the need to improve integration of a science-policy interface into AEWA, the operation of the Small Grants Fund, progress under the Implementation Review Process (IRP), and a new approach to Communication, Education and Public Awareness (CEPA) under the Agreement.
• Delegates will also review financial and administrative matters, including consideration of the draft budget proposal for the 2026–2028 triennium.

Refinement of priority actions and guidance

• Delegates will review refined priority actions for seabirds, including measures to address such threats as bycatch in fishing gear, human impacts on seabirds’ prey, unsustainable harvest/illegal take, and invasive predators. They will also consider the implications of sea-level rise for migratory waterbirds and possible response options.
• Parties will consider revised international plans for the Taiga Bean Goose and the Svalbard population of Pink-footed Goose, as well as updated formats and guidelines for AEWA International Species Action and Management Plans (aligning plan lifespans and streamlining the processes for updating and revising Plans, as recommended by CSR9).
• Revised AEWA Conservation Guidelines on the management of key sites and the development of ecotourism at wetlands will also be presented to Parties for possible adoption.

A vibrant programme of side events, conservation awards and a solemn memorial

• Fourteen side events during the 3rd day of the Meeting (Thursday 13 November) will showcase practical solutions and pressing issues, from adaptive management and the 60th International Waterbird Census, to human-wildlife conflicts linked to the Grey Crowned Crane in Africa and AI-assisted bird count trials in Senegal and Chad.

A case study on social approaches that turn conflict into cooperation for a flagship wader, lessons learned from a decade of intergovernmental cooperation under AEWA’s European Goose Management Platform, and the importance of One Health approached with the interdependence of conservation and health will also be in focus. Thursday’s full day of side events will be open to the media, providing an opportunity for interviews with conservation experts, Party delegates and NGO representatives.

• The 30th Anniversary of AEWA will be celebrated during the first day’s plenary session (Tuesday 11 November), with the presentation of some major accomplishments of the treaty to date and will include a statement from the two AEWA Honorary Patrons (Dr Gerard C. Boere and Dr David Stroud), who have been instrumental in establishing and shaping AEWA.
• AEWA Waterbird Conservation Awards will be presented on the final day of MOP9 (14 November) to a selected individual and institution that have made a significant contribution towards the long-term conservation of waterbirds in the African-Eurasian region.
• Two “Champions for waterbird conservation” under the Migratory Species Champion Programme will also be recognised for their commitments to provide medium- and long-term resources for conservation actions.
• Delegates will reflect on the recently declared extinction of the Slender-billed Curlew, underscoring the urgency of coordinated action to prevent further losses. The memorial serves as a powerful reminder of what can irreversibly be lost when timely action is not taken.

The results of MOP9 are set to guide waterbird conservation efforts into the future. By strengthening international cooperation, governments are making strong moves to tackle new threats facing migratory waterbirds. Viable waterbird populations are vital for ecosystems and millions of people along the African-Eurasian flyways.

As a focused and practical treaty that works on tangible solutions on the ground, AEWA not only aids these migratory birds but also brings wider biodiversity benefits. Funding and implementing AEWA provides countries with an opportunity to make substantial contributions towards achieving the objectives of important global initiatives like the Samarkand Strategic Plan for Migratory Species, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

****