Event
Virtual Masterclass on "Wetlands and Biodiversity - How can we cooperate with birds?"
Dr. Seliger, representative of Hanns Seidel Foundation Korea, opened the webinar with a brief overview of the foundation's work and explained the focus on cooperation in the East Asian - Australasian Flyway. The opening speech was followed by speeches from various guest speakers. Ramesh Kumar from the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) explained India's role in the Central Asian Flyway. Vivian Fu, Senior Manager at World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Hong Kong, presented the importance of CEPA for the conservation of Central Asian flyways. Ruslan Urazaliyev from the Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity of Kazakhstan (ACBK), reported on the work of ACBK, which has been involved in bird protection, ecosystem conservation and working with local communities since 2004. Mimi Kessler from the IUCN Bustard Specialist Group spoke about the COP14 outcomes and further actions the COP plans to take in the future. The final guest speaker, Osama Al Nouri from BirdLife International, spoke about the EAEF initiative, which aims to support local partners and advocates in finding new, more ecological ways to protect wetlands.
The expert speeches were followed by a discussion round in which all of the event participants exchanged views on how collaboration could continue in the future. Two questions in particular were intensely discussed. Firstly, how to work sustainably with young people on projects that would not only benefit the birds, but also nature. The participants agreed that young people should be much more involved in decision-making processes, but that they should also be given more resources to realize and promote their ideas. Counselling and training opportunities were also suggested. The participants then discussed how sectoral cooperation could be strengthened in order to reduce the threat of electrocution to birds, for example in agriculture. The participants suggested cross-sectoral cooperation between departments and emphasized the importance of establishing good relations with the sectors where birds are particularly threatened.