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Black-faced Spoonbill Conservation
Securing the Future of the Black-faced Spoonbill

From fewer than 300 birds in 1989 to nearly 7,000 in 2024, the Black-faced Spoonbill has benefited from decades of international cooperation. The revised Action Plan (2026–2036) will address emerging threats and guide conservation across North-East Asia.

On 8–9 September 2025, the Technical Review Meeting on the Draft Revised International Single Species Action Plan for the Black-faced Spoonbill was held at the ESCAP East and North-East Asia Office, coordinated by NEASPEC.

Recognized as a priority species in 1994, the first ISSAP was launched in 1995, followed by an update in 2010 and the creation of the EAAFP Black-faced Spoonbill Working Group in 2013. Thanks to decades of international cooperation, the global population has risen from fewer than 300 birds in 1989 to nearly 7,000 in 2024.

However, new threats - including habitat loss, urban expansion, renewable energy development, avian diseases, and climate change - continue to endanger the species. The revised Action Plan (2026–2036) will guide stronger, coordinated conservation actions across North-East Asia.

The meeting brought together key experts and contributors, including Dr. Hyun-Ah Choi, Senior researcher at HSF Korea, to refine this vital strategy for the next decade.