New agreement gives boost to Africa's migratory waterbirds

‘Wings over Wetlands’ (WOW) -a project working to conserve the critical areas needed by waterbirds that migrate across continents- has been given a significant boost with the launch of a new agreement in Africa that will coordinate project efforts in the sub-region.

WOW is a highly collaborative project, led by Wetlands International and involving BirdLife among a number of international organisations, working to help foster international collaboration along important migration routes (‘flyways’) and to build capacity for monitoring and conservation of migratory species.

The recent agreement between Wetlands International, BirdLife International and Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), will provide a WOW sub-regional hub from which to coordinate the regional capacity development component within the project. This agreement unites the organisations’ efforts in flyway-scale monitoring and conservation in eastern and southern Africa, and will strengthen capacity and increase knowledge on migratory waterbirds within the region.

The WOW sub-regional coordinating base for east and southern Africa will be hosted by BirdLife International’s Africa Secretariat in Nairobi (based at Nature Kenya, BirdLife in Kenya). The KWS will collaborate with the WOW team in delivering the “capacity development component” of the project in this region.

“We are delighted to announce the signing of this agreement which reaffirms our working relationship between Kenya Wildlife Service and the BirdLife Africa Partnership.” said Hazell Shokellu Thompson, Head of BirdLife’s Africa Partnership Secretariat.

"Today’s agreement lays the groundwork for developing capacity within Eastern and Southern Africa..." —Hazell Shokellu Thompson,, Head of BirdLife’s Africa Partnership Secretariat