Asian Waterbird Conservation Fund

Introduction

Rationale of the Fund

	© Australasian Wader Study Group East Asia – Australasian Flyway

Each year, some 243 of the 404 species of waterbirds in the Asia – Pacific Region migrate between their breeding areas as far north as Siberia and Alaska, and their non-breeding areas as far south as Australia and New Zealand. Whilst some of these waterbirds make long journeys of up to 6,000 km non-stop, others rely on a number of staging posts in one of 57 countries and territories in the region, where they stop, rest and refuel before starting on their long journeys once again. However, many of the inland and coastal wetlands waterbirds stop-over during migration have been lost in recent years or impacted by factors such as reclamation, pollution, hunting and bad management. As a result, some 54 species of migratory waterbirds (13%) are now considered threatened. As a result, Asian Waterbird Conservation Fund was established with seed money from Cathay Pacific Airlines in 2005 and administered by WWF Hong Kong, to provide financial support to projects that will lead to the conservation of the migratory waterbirds in the East Asia – Australasian Flyway. Priority will be given to those projects that can integrate the conservation of the migratory waterbirds with the sustainable management of the wetland habitats that these waterbird depend upon.

Objectives of the Fund

To support projects that will lead to the conservation of migratory waterbirds and their important wetland habitats in Asia through partnership with, and which will bring socio-economic benefits to the local community at the site.

© WK Leung