East Atlantic Flyway experts discuss transforming findings into action

On 26 June 2025, the webinar "From Data to Action: Strengthening Site-Based Conservation Along the East Atlantic Flyway", organised within the project "Climate-resilient East Atlantic Flyway" (CREAF), brought together Flyway experts to explore one key question: what comes next?

Marc van Roomen (Sovon), coordinator of monitoring for the Wadden Sea Flyway Initiative, opened the session with findings from the 2023 Flyway Monitoring Assessment: “Some populations are improving, but declines in Afro-tropical regions highlight where support is needed. We need frameworks that go beyond the numbers.”

Field-ready solutions like drone protocols, satellite imagery, and digital data tools were presented as tangible steps already in use from the Wadden Sea to South Africa. Khady Gueye (Wetlands International Africa) spoke candidly about conditions in the field: “We have passionate local teams, but they face real barriers, limited equipment, short-term projects, and staff turnover. What we need is continuity.”

Closing the session, Dr. Kristine Meise (Common Wadden Sea Secretariat) emphasised that migratory birds reflect not only species health but also governance performance. She called for stronger national/international integration of monitoring and long-term funding and alignment with global goals and frameworks. She added that the innovation is here. The webinar made one thing clear: the Flyway is speaking, and it’s time to act.