Every three years, the 22 countries of the East Asian–Australasian Flyway Partnership meet to set conservation policy for the flyway. The 12th Meeting of Partners was held in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu, in November 2025 — the first time the Philippines had hosted since the Partnership was founded in 2006. Its theme was “Weaving Connections: Celebrating Migration, Traditional Knowledge, and Innovation across our Flyway.”
Malaysian Nature Society, Penang Branch was proud to be part of the Malaysian government delegation.
The Malaysian delegation
- Head of Delegation: Encik Muhammad Syazwan bin Adzhar, NRE-S
- Penang State: Tuan Wan Ghazali, Deputy Director, Penang State Department of Forestry
- PERHILITAN: Encik Ahmad Khusaini bin Mohd Kharip Shah
- Sarawak: Puan Noraisah Majri, with Miss Rose Au of MNS Kuching Branch
- Malaysian Nature Society: led by Dr Yeap Chin Aik, with MNS conservation staff
Presenting the case for Teluk Air Tawar–Kuala Muda
Tan Choo Eng, Honorary Secretary of MNS Penang and Chairman of the Bird Conservation Council, presented a paper on IBA MY003, the Teluk Air Tawar–Kuala Muda Coast, and on preparing the Site Information Sheet for its Flyway Site nomination.
The site is around 620 hectares of mangrove and 450 hectares of tidal mudflat along roughly 10 kilometres of the Seberang Perai coast. It supports more than 200 bird species, regularly holds over 12,000 migratory birds, and is used by six globally threatened species — including the Critically Endangered Spoon-billed Sandpiper, recorded here in 2013. Once listed, it would become the first Flyway Network Site in Peninsular Malaysia.
Hosting a side event
MNS and BirdLife Asia were honoured to be invited by the Flyway Partnership Secretariat and BirdLife International to host a side event, “Migratory Waterbird Conservation in Malaysia — Updates, Lessons and Next Steps.” It covered flyway conservation across both Peninsular Malaysia and Malaysian Borneo, with particular attention to three of the flyway’s most threatened shorebirds that winter in Malaysian coastal wetlands in significant numbers: Nordmann’s Greenshank, Great Knot and Far Eastern Curlew. A panel of government and conservation practitioners discussed challenges and next steps.
MNS Penang Branch provided refreshments for the side event.
What MOP12 decided
- An EAAFP Science Strategy to strengthen collaborative monitoring and research
- The Spoon-billed Sandpiper Action Plan 2025–2035, endorsed
- A restructured Far Eastern Curlew Action Plan
- A new Tidal Flats Initiative addressing habitat loss across the flyway
- International guidelines on light pollution affecting migratory species
Seven new Flyway Network Sites were recognised — in Myanmar, South Korea, Thailand and the Philippines — alongside two new Ramsar Sites and one Wetland City. Teluk Air Tawar–Kuala Muda’s nomination remains in preparation.
Sources: EAAFP — MOP12 concludes in Cebu · EAAFP — MOP12 side events · Philippines BMB — MOP12 · Shorebirds Malaysia — Teluk Air Tawar–Kuala Muda · Mongabay — A critical stopover for shorebirds awaits protection in Malaysia
