Strengthening the protected area network for migratory bird conservation along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway (EAAF) in China To secure the conservation of globally threatened migratory waterbirds through the establishment of a robust, resilient and well-managed network of protected wetlands across the East Asian Australasian Flyway (EAAF) in China. Note: Disbursement data provided is cumulative and covers disbursement made by the project Agency. The project will support the improved management and sustainable use of some 600,000 ha of wetlands outside the existing PA system across EAAF-China (a large portion of China’s inland wetland systems and especially its long coastlines) in order to reduce threats to migratory waterbirds and benefit local communities. Overall, China’s inland and coastal wetlands deliver a wealth of benefits in the form of ecosystem services. Intertidal flats, the narrow band of habitat between marine, freshwater and land environments, are characterized by regular tidal inundation, low slopes and muddy deposits. They provide ecosystem services such as food, shoreline stabilization, protection from storm events, maintenance of biodiversity and are often at the centre of social activities. China’s dependence on wetland ecosystem services for water and flood control is very high. National efforts to determine the value of ecosystem services in China suggest they must be at least worth several times the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Based on the findings of assessing the values of wetland ecosystem services in wetland protected areas, the total wetland values of 35 national wetland natures in China’s coastal areas were estimated[1]. The results indicated that the total values of wetland ecosystem services in 35 national nature reserves in China’s coastal areas reach 26.46 billion USD per year. Among them, the value of habitat service is the highest, which was 7.23 billion USD per year. It was followed by tourism and recreation, food supply, wave attenuation and embankment protection, and carbon storage services (4.77 billion, 3.53 billion, 3.45 billion and 2.36 billion USD per year respectively). The value of water storage and regulation and that of water purification services were the lowest (1.30 billion and 0.89 billion USD per year). See Table 9 of Prodoc Annex 19 for further information.In addition, the project will result in the improved protection of diverse wetland habitats used by migratory waterbirds through their inclusion in the national protected area system. This will ensure the sustainability of the wetland ecosystem services they provide, contributing directly to the provincial and national economies. Specifically, the project will increase the area of terrestrial flyway wetland PAs created (c.19,900 ha) or under improved management for conservation and sustainable use (172,200 ha); as well as the area of marine flyway wetland PAs created (c.185,074 ha) or under improved management for conservation and sustainable use (133,305 ha) across EAAF-China. These will include wetlands along the Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea coastline, one of the most highly threatened ecosystems in the world, and contribute towards the establishment of China’s serial World Heritage Site nomination. All new flyway wetland PAs established with support from the project will meet the criteria of the Ramsar Convention for Wetlands of International Importance as well as the EAAFP Flyway Site Network criteria. In total, the project will improve the conservation management of 510,479 ha of terrestrial and marine flyway wetland PAs. In the longer term, the project will have greater impacts through the progressive implementation of the flyway conservation strategy, action plan and business plan (Output 1.2) and further development of the PA system after project completion. The technical guidelines developed and piloted by the project have potential for upscaling and replication both nationally and internationally at other flyway wetland sites. It is not possible to accurately quantify the human populations that would benefit from these outcomes in the long term, but given the high population density in the eastern coastal region of China, it is likely to be in the millions. The direct project beneficiaries include national, provincial and local government agency staff including nature reserve staff who have improved their knowledge and skills on flyway wetland and migratory waterbird conservation, and diverse aspects of sustainable and community-based wetland management due to the project – at least 500 (30% female); and local community members participating in wetland conservation, habitat management efforts and sustainable livelihood interventions in the project landscapes (at least 8,000 direct beneficiaries, of which at least 50% will be women). These activities will be located in the demonstration landscapes around Liao River Estuary, Yellow River Delta, Chongming Dongtan and Dashanbao (see Landscape and PA profiles in prodoc Annex 17). Additional communities will benefit from interventions supported by financial support and NGO partner-led interventions in other flyway wetland areas. Indirect beneficiaries will include the wider populations of the landscapes within and adjacent to the nature reserves, although it is difficult to quantify both the nature of the benefits and the recipient populations. Except for the presence of some 5% Yi and Miao ethnic minority people in Dashanbao nature reserve, most villagers in the other targeted nature reserves are Han Chinese. Women account for 50% of the total population and play major roles in crop cultivation and livestock husbandry in addition to domestic duties.             As a result of these efforts to manage and use flyway wetlands sustainably, the project will contribute towards improving the conservation status of some 33 globally significant migratory waterbird populations in the East Asian – Australasian Flyway occurring in China, primarily through improved protection and management of critical flyway wetland sites that have been determined through systematic analysis (see Prodoc Annexes 19 and 21). These populations include globally threatened species, and species meeting international criteria of the Ramsar Convention and EAAFP at individual flyway wetlands in China.          [1] Yu Xiubo, Zhang Li, 2019. China Green Book of Coastal Wetland Conservation (2019). Beijing: Science Press (in press). USD equivalents used here apply a rate of USD1 : CNY 7.00