The Americas Flyways Initiative to begin implementation in Jan 2025

After two years of rigorous science-based design, the Americas Flyways Initiative (AFI) is moving into its implementation phase in 2025, aimed at protecting and restoring critical ecosystems through Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) and bird-friendly infrastructure that also benefits people.

Inspired by the wonderful world of birds and their epic migratory journeys across the hemisphere, which connect landscapes, cultures, and people, the AFI science team has identified a portfolio of crucial sites to ensure the connectivity and conservation of at least 10% of prioritized populations of migratory shorebirds and landbirds in the Americas.

Birds serve as vital bioindicators of the health of nature. They not only signal the problems we face but also point to solutions: where and how we need to act. Protecting birds means protecting life. For example, 85% of the important bird conservation sites in Colombia coincide with key areas for water regulation and climate change mitigation.

Currently, AFI has five initial projects, also known as "nest projects," named for their connection to shelter, development, and well-being:

1. Improving coastal climate resilience in the Rocuant Andalién Wetland in Chile;
2. Restoring montane forest landscapes and aquatic ecosystems in the northwestern Andes of Ecuador;
3. Integrating bird-friendly practices in transmission and distribution power lines reaching the coast of Guayas, Ecuador;
4. Incorporating bird-friendly architecture and design at the CAF headquarters in Panama City;
5. Knowledge exchange on best practices at the Iona Wastewater Treatment Plant on Iona Island, British Columbia.

To guide project developers in designing and implementing proposals that combine conservation and sustainable development, AFI has also released four practical and strategic guides:

• Guide 1: High biodiversity and carbon-dense ecosystems.
• Guide 2: Water security: drinking water, sanitation, and access to irrigation.
• Guide 3: Coastal management.
• Guide 4: Infrastructure.

The relevance of AFI is grounded in the premise that conservation without funding is merely conversation. Without agile and sustainable financial resources, effective conservation, protection, and restoration of nature cannot be achieved. Currently, there is a financial gap of between $598 billion and $824 billion annually needed to implement actions addressing the climate crisis and biodiversity loss.

One of the primary objectives of the sixteenth Conference of the Parties (COP 16) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), taking place in Cali, is to advance the details and mechanisms for meeting Target 19 of the Global Biodiversity Framework: achieving the annual mobilization of at least $200 billion by 2030. Of this amount, it is expected that at least $30 billion will be directed toward developing countries, which are often more severely affected by climate change impacts and wildlife decline.

As of the date of this statement, eight governments have pledged $163 million to enable the Global Biodiversity Fund (GBFF) to implement the Kunming-Montreal Biodiversity Framework. While this is a step forward, it remains insufficient given the scale of what is required and the context we face.

The protection and sustainable use of the services and resources we receive from nature are not solely the responsibility of the naturalist or scientific community. More than half of the world's economy depends on the benefits provided by nature: clean water and air, fertile soils, food, medicine, raw materials, among others. More than half of the global GDP is moderately or highly dependent on nature and its services. Consequently, this figure is linked to the risks and impacts associated with the destruction of nature.

Therefore, actions aimed at the conservation, restoration, and sustainable management of ecosystems and their biodiversity are an obligation and responsibility for all sectors, as they form the fundamental basis for our societies to continue existing and thriving. Fortunately, much of the answer to the challenge of channeling financing for biodiversity lies within nature itself.

"Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) are actions to protect, sustainably manage, and restore natural and modified ecosystems that effectively and adaptively address societal challenges while simultaneously benefiting people and nature" (IUCN, 2016).

In this context, at COP15 in Montreal, the National Audubon Society, BirdLife International, and the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF) forged a commitment and the foundations of a strategic, transformative, and visionary alliance that will mobilize investment for nature and the communities that depend on it through a comprehensive financial mechanism.

AFI is a symbiosis for prosperity that combines cutting-edge applied science and agile financial mechanisms to sustainably manage over 30 marine and terrestrial landscapes by 2050, mobilizing between $3 trillion and $5 trillion.

Elizabeth Gray, CEO of Audubon, highlighted the importance of the initiative: "We are working together to protect 30 terrestrial and marine landscapes across this vast region. This is essential for promoting nature-based solutions and sustainable development. The Americas is one of the most biodiverse regions in the world, and we have much to do to address both the biodiversity and climate crises."

Martin Harper, CEO of BirdLife International, expressed gratitude and recognition to the teams from the three organizations for their hard work in reaching this point: "We are building something very special, something that will unite conservation efforts across the Americas. This initiative is already inspiring similar projects in other major migratory routes worldwide."

Sergio Díaz Granados, Executive President of CAF, reminded attendees of the bank's efforts to become the green bank of the region, including increasing its capital to address the climate emergency: "The loss of biodiversity is one of our most urgent problems. Mitigating it and adapting is not a choice; it is a responsibility we must fulfill. We have been collaborating with institutions like Audubon and BirdLife to bridge conservation gaps in Latin America and the Caribbean."

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