October 14 marks the World Migratory Bird Day, an annual awareness-raising campaign highlighting the need for the conservation of migratory birds and their habitats. This year, it focuses on the theme "Water: Sustaining Bird Life." 

Water is fundamental to life on our planet. The vast majority of migratory birds rely on aquatic ecosystems during their life cycles. Wetlands, rivers, lakes, streams, marshes and ponds are all vital for feeding, drinking, nesting and also as places to refuel during their long journeys.

However, the increasing human demand for water, along with climate change, pollution and other factors, are threatening the aquatic ecosystems worldwide. In the last 50 years, 35 percent of the world's wetlands have been lost. A study published last May in the journal Annual Review of Environment and Resources found that approximately 48 percent of existing bird species worldwide are known or suspected to be undergoing population declines. It notes that the fate of bird populations is strongly dependent on stopping the loss and degradation of habitats.

There are nine major flyways, the routes that migratory birds traverse on an annual basis, around the world. During migration, waterbirds rely on a system of highly productive wetlands to breed and winter. Since the flyways are across different countries, the international cooperation across their migratory range is therefore essential to conserve and protect migratory birds and the habitats.

The East Asian – Australasian Flyway, one of the world's great flyways of migratory birds, is home to over 50 million migratory waterbirds from over 250 different populations, including 32 globally threatened species. To ensure the internationally important wetlands are sustainably managed, the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership (EAAFP) was launched in 2006, with currently 39 partners including 18 national governments.

China is one of the partners, with more than 29 million hectares of its wetlands are along the flyway.

With four flyways passing through its country, China provides valuable habitat for migratory birds. 

China has always been a strong advocator for strengthened global cooperation. It has signed bilateral agreements on migratory bird conservation with countries such as Japan and Australia, and promotes migratory bird protection through multilateral environment treaties.

Back in 1992, China became a party to the Ramsar Convention, an intergovernmental agreement dedicated to the conservation and rational use of wetland ecosystems, and the country has since stepped up its conservation efforts while establishing a legal framework to govern wetlands.

From 2016 to 2020, China undertook 53 wetland protection and restoration projects, and more than 2,000 wetland ecological compensation projects. It also undertook wetland protection and restoration subsidy projects.

Over the past decade, China has added or restored more than 800,000 hectares of wetlands, according to the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.

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