Strengthening Regional Collaboration for Conservation in Asia with Birds

The eBird and Merlin Asia Meeting took place on 28–29 October in Songdo, Republic of Korea, bringing together key partners from across the Flyways - East Asian-Australasian and Central Asian Flyways. Dr Bernhard Seliger and Dr Hyun-Ah Choi of the Hanns Seidel Foundation (HSF) Korea participated alongside partners, including Nature Foundation, Wildlife Science and Conservation Centre of Mongolia, Hong Kong Bird Watching Society, and Birds Korea. The meeting aimed to strengthen regional collaboration for bird conservation and enhance knowledge exchange across Asia.

To date, more than 2.3 billion bird records have been collected through eBird, the world’s largest citizen-science platform, accounting for over half of all known biodiversity data. While the first billion observations took until 2021, the second billion were added within just four years - a remarkable testament to the accelerating pace of global participation and cooperation. This milestone reflects the collective effort of over 250 organizations and thousands of individuals, demonstrating how technology and shared purpose can power large-scale ecological collaboration. The next challenge lies in analysing this immense dataset to inform evidence-based conservation policies at local, national, and global levels - a task that will require even stronger partnerships between ecologists and data scientists.

Beyond data and science, this movement is ultimately about connecting people. It shows how citizen science can transcend borders, fostering understanding and cooperation among communities throughout the region. By working together for nature, we are also building foundations for peace, dialogue, and shared responsibility.

This vision aligns closely with HSF’s commitment to serving as a political bridge, fostering connections among people, knowledge, and innovation in pursuit of sustainable and peaceful coexistence with nature.