Partners of the Wadden Sea Flyway Initiative

The East Atlantic Flyway covers more than 15.000 km and 36 countries. Close collaboration with dedicated partners is essential to achieve long-lasting and sustainable results for the conservation of migratory waterbirds and their wetland habitats along the whole flyway. For the implementation of the Flyway Vision, the WSFI has therefore focused on establishing partnerships with local, regional and international organisations.

At the international scale our key partners are  Birdlife International, Wetlands International, the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Waterbirds (AEWA), the Artic Migratory Bird Initiative (AMBI) of the Arctic Council and the Regional Partnership for West Africa Coastal and Marine Conservation (PRCM). In West Africa, strong ties have been established with  the most important migratory bird sites; the World Heritage site Banc d’Arguin (Memorandum of Understanding) in Mauritania and the Bijagós Archipelago in Guinea Bissau. Further collaborations with national NGOs, conservation institutions, local schools, and communities are of utmost importance for successful flyway management. Each of the partners plays a role in developing a better understanding of the challenges that waterbirds are facing during their annual cycle and developing adequate solutions through the implementation of sustainable management strategies and awareness campaigns for migratory waterbirds along the flyway.

In addition to our organizational partnerships, the vision of the WSFI is supported by countless volunteers who contribute to the conservation of migratory birds and their environment through monitoring efforts, litter picking events, training workshops or awareness campaigns. It is their passion and determination that will allow us to make a difference on a global scale.

Bird monitoring in Sierra Leone © Tim Dodman
Bird monitoring in the Wadden Sea © Gundolf Reichert
Monitoring efforts of waterbirds in coastal wetlands in Sierra Leone (left) and the Wadden Sea (right).