Hanns Seidel Foundation Korea becomes 35th member of EAAFP

05/04/2016

In April 2016, Hanns Seidel Foundation Korea became the 35th member of the East Asian Australasian Flyway Partnership (EAAFP). “We are proud to be partners of the flyway partnership together with 15 national governments along the flyway, major international nature protection associations, and NGOs in the field of nature and bird protection,” says Dr. Bernhard Seliger, representative of Hanns Seidel Foundation in Korea. “We hope in particular that we can contribute to a better understanding of the challenges of the flyway across the Korean Peninsula, including the North and South.”

During a survey in Hunchun in February 2016

The East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership is a network of partners within the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, one of nine major migratory routes recognized globally. The East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership aims to protect migratory waterbirds, their habitat and the livelihoods of people dependent upon them.

Since 2005, Hanns Seidel Foundation works with partners like Goseong County and Gangwon province for the sustainable development in the inner-Korean border area, on the basis of the experience of the former inner-German border area. This includes work with bird experts, e.g. 2009 a consulting trip on bird conservation with the head of the working group "Crane Protection Germany", the Vice Director of Schaalsee biosphere reserve and the chief ornithologist of Berlin Museum of Natural Science.

In 2014, HSF commissioned Birds Korea, a partner, to do a study on forest birds in Goseong County, our partner county, which became part of a larger study on “Wood and Culture in Goseong” for the World Wood Day Foundation. Also, in March 2014 HSF carried out the first ever bird survey in Sonbong Migratory Bird Reserve in Rason Special city, North Korea, in cooperation with UNESCAP.

With Birds Korea, in 2015 we worked on a series on “Nature protection and bird protection in DPRK” for Tongil Hankuk (Unified Korea), a journal by the South Korean Institute of Peace Affairs, to raise awareness for migratory bird challenges on the Korean Peninsula as well as a marine bird survey at the border of North and South Korea in Goseong county.

In February 2016 Hanns Seidel Foundation together with Birds Korea carried out a habitat survey in the Hunchun area and Paektusan area along the Sino-Korean border and in April 2016, during a trip to Rason, North Korea, a short habitat check on Pipa islet and the surrounding coastal zone was conducted.

You can find out more about the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership here: www.eaaflyway.net

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