BirdLife South Africa has signed the Nairobi Flyways Declaration, joining BirdLife Partners, NGOs, governments and financial institutions in a global commitment to protect migratory birds and the habitats they depend on. Signed on 11 September 2026 at the Global Flyways Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, the Declaration recognises that migratory birds cannot be protected by countries working in isolation.

During their annual cycles, many birds travel vast distances, crossing borders, continents and oceans. They rely on a network of breeding, stopover, and non-breeding sites along their migration routes. These sites act as refuelling stations for birds, providing enough food and shelter for them to regain energy before continuing their journey. Such refuges, including estuaries, pans, grasslands and wetlands, are also important for people, as many support livelihoods, food and water security, and help communities build resilience to climate change.

Protecting flyways is imperative to species survival and the need for coordinated action has never been more urgent. The State of the World’s Birds report, released by BirdLife International at the Summit, shows that 45% of migratory bird species are now in decline, while one in nine, around 200 species, are threatened with extinction.

For BirdLife South Africa, signing the Declaration reflects its longstanding commitment to conserving migratory birds at the southern end of the African-Eurasian Flyway and to strengthening collaboration and co-operation between countries to protect site and habitats along the flyway.

“Migratory birds remind us that the sites we protect in South Africa are part of something much bigger. The birds arriving on our shores and in our grasslands connect us to ecosystems and conservation efforts thousands of kilometres away. The Nairobi Flyways Declaration provides an important opportunity to strengthen these connections and turn our shared understanding of migration into coordinated action,” says Dr Kirsten Day, Policy and Advocacy Programme Manager at BirdLife South Africa.

Following birds across borders

Tracking migratory bird research demonstrates why a flyway approach is so important. Different species share broadly similar routes but there is still much to be learnt about how far species can travel and where they stop to rest. Changes and deviations from traditional routes can provide vital clues as to the quality of habitat or threats birds may be facing.

Tracking provides an extraordinary window into migration, and several projects are helping build this understanding. Through its European Roller Monitoring Project, the organisation combines ground monitoring, colour-ringing and satellite tracking to understand the movements of European Rollers that spend the southern part and non-breeding season of their annual cycle in South Africa. The project has allowed us to follow these birds’ journeys from southern Africa through eastern Africa, the Arabian Peninsula and South Asia to breeding areas in Central Asia.

One tracked roller, “Rory”, travelled more than 15 000 kilometres from southern Africa to western China, highlighting the 12 countries and habitats connected by a single bird’s journey.

The organisation is also tracking Curlew Sandpipers and Grey Plovers along South Africa’s west coast, following their movements between South African estuaries and breeding grounds in the Arctic tundra. This work is helping to identify the estuaries/wetlands these birds depend on and reveal links between sites that might otherwise be unknown.

These projects give us a front-row seat to the reality of flyways. A Curlew Sandpiper feeding on the mudflats of the Berg River estuary is connected to a much larger network stretching across the African-Eurasian Flyway. The bird’s experience and quality of the habitat here can have consequences far beyond South Africa, because the condition of the wetlands it depends on can ultimately influence its ability to survive the journey and return to breeding grounds thousands of kilometres away.

Our flyway work extends beyond following birds on a map. We identify and promote the protection of important sites such as Key Biodiversity Areas, strengthen monitoring through programmes such as Coordinated Waterbird Counts (CWAC), engage communities and stakeholders, build awareness and collaborate with partners across the African-Eurasian Flyway. This holistic approach is particularly important in South Africa, which forms the southern end of the flyway and provides critical non-breeding habitat for large numbers of migratory birds.

Turning international commitments into action

BirdLife South Africa is committed to supporting South Africa in implementing the international agreements and action plans that provide a framework for migratory bird conservation. These include the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA), African-Eurasian Migratory Landbirds Action Plan (AEMLAP), Raptors MOU under the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS), and the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.

The organisation works with government and other partners to ensure that migratory birds and their habitats are considered in environmental policy development, decision-making and site protection. This includes generating evidence on bird movements, identifying important sites and threats, supporting monitoring, and using this knowledge to inform conservation action and policy.

As explained by Dr Hanneline Smit-Robinson, BirdLife South Africa’s Head of Conservation, “BirdLife South Africa is committed to working with government to translate international commitments into meaningful conservation action. We need strong government leadership, effective implementation of existing commitments, and the resources and support necessary to achieve the objectives that South Africa has agreed to.”

A shared responsibility

The Nairobi Flyways Declaration brings together a broad coalition around a simple principle: migratory birds do not recognise borders, so neither can their conservation.

For BirdLife South Africa, signing the Declaration is a commitment to strengthen partnerships and support conservation action across the African-Eurasian Flyway – from the wetlands and estuaries where birds spend the southern part of their journeys to breeding and stopover sites thousands of kilometres away.

As billions of birds undertake their annual migrations, the challenge is to ensure that the network of places they depend on remains connected, healthy and able to support them throughout their journeys.

Like a chain being only as strong as its weakest link, the successful protection of a flyway means strengthening every site along the route.