45% of Migratory Birds in Decline as Nairobi Backs Conservation Finance

Governments, scientists, conservation groups and financial institutions have committed to protecting migratory routes as pressure on critical habitats grows.

Nairobi has become the centre of a renewed global push to protect migratory birds.

Governments, scientists, conservation groups and financial institutions signed the Nairobi Flyways Declaration on September 11.

The declaration calls for stronger cooperation across borders to protect migratory birds and the habitats they depend on.

The commitment came during the Global Flyways Summit in Nairobi. BirdLife International also launched its 2026 State of the World’s Birds report at the summit.

The report focuses entirely on migratory birds and the flyways connecting their breeding, stopover and non-breeding areas.

Migratory Bird Populations Under Pressure

The report paints a worrying picture.

About 45% of the world’s 1,843 migratory bird species have declining populations. Another 11% face extinction threats.

The Slender-billed Curlew adds to those concerns. BirdLife declared the species extinct in 2025.

The bird was last recorded at a Moroccan lagoon in February 1995. Its extinction marks the first global bird extinction in mainland Eurasia and Africa in recent centuries.

Six other migratory species have also disappeared or may have disappeared over the past 150 years.

Seabirds and shorebirds face some of the greatest risks.

Species that rely on marine habitats, forests and coastal wetlands also continue to struggle.

Human Activity Drives Many of the Declines

BirdLife links the declines to several human-driven pressures.

These include invasive species, agricultural expansion, climate change and unsustainable hunting.

However, the report also offers reasons for hope.

Conservation efforts can reverse population declines when countries coordinate action across entire migration routes.

For example, countries working together have helped halt the decline of the Balkan breeding population of the Egyptian Vulture.

Dr Stuart Butchart, Chief Scientist at BirdLife International, said conservation can prevent extinctions and help populations recover.

He called for governments and conservation partners to implement solutions at flyway scale.

Billions Target Critical Habitats

The Nairobi declaration also comes as development banks increase funding for flyway conservation.

More than $6 billion in conservation finance has been mobilised by development banks since 2021. Three multilateral banks are now integrating flyway conservation into their lending frameworks.

The Asian Development Bank plans to mobilise $3 billion over the next decade.

The funding will protect at least 50 priority wetlands along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway. These ecosystems support nearly 200 million people.

In the Americas, the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean plans to mobilise $3 billion to $5 billion through 2050.

The funding will support more than 30 landscapes and seascapes.

Meanwhile, the World Bank and BirdLife International are mobilising several billion dollars across Africa, Europe and Asia.

The initiatives will support flyways used by more than two billion migratory birds.

Africa Plays a Critical Role

Africa sits at the heart of several major migratory routes.

Birds that breed in Europe, Asia and the Arctic rely on African wetlands, grasslands and forests during their journeys.

Dr Paul Matiku, Executive Director of Nature Kenya, said Africa should play a leading role in developing conservation solutions.

“The birds that breed in Europe, Asia and the Arctic depend on our wetlands, grasslands and forests,” Matiku said.

The Global Flyways Summit brought these perspectives together.

It attracted governments, financial institutions, conservation organisations and scientists. Together, they explored ways to finance conservation at the scale migratory birds need.

Protecting Entire Flyways

Migratory birds do not follow national borders.

Their journeys connect breeding grounds, stopover sites and non-breeding areas across continents. A threat at one point can therefore affect an entire migration route.

BirdLife International has responded through its Global Flyways Programme.

The programme brings partners together to protect entire flyways rather than isolated sites. BirdLife has 125 partners across 120 countries.

Community-led conservation is also gaining momentum.

In June 2026, the Global Environment Facility approved the Global Flyways Grant Mechanism. It provides $8.97 million in direct grants and $107 million in co-financing.

The funding will support conservation and restoration across nine million hectares of wetlands. It could benefit an estimated 330,000 people.