Marine flyways are the missing map we can use to boost seabird conservation (commentary)

At the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Migratory Species last week in Brazil, delegates formally established something scientists have long understood but never before mapped at a global scale: marine flyways used by seabirds.
Seabirds are more than charismatic travelers along these routes, rather, they are indicators of ocean health and can guide conservationists to the most important areas for marine biodiversity.
“Seabirds have been tracing these routes for millennia. They have shown us the map. Now it is our turn to follow it with urgency, ambition and a shared commitment to safeguarding the ocean that sustains us all,” a new op-ed argues.
This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the authors, not necessarily of Mongabay.

Last week, governments, conservationists and civil society from around the world gathered in Brazil for the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS-15). In a rare moment of unity, they formally established something scientists have long understood but never before mapped at a global scale: marine flyways. This decision may sound technical, but it represents one of the most important shifts in ocean conservation in a generation.

For decades, we have celebrated the great migrations of land birds like cranes sweeping across continents and swallows stitching hemispheres together, but far offshore, another story has been unfolding, largely unnoticed. Seabirds have been navigating vast, predictable highways across the open ocean, linking nations, ecosystems and hemispheres in ways we are only now beginning to understand.

At BirdLife International, our latest research revealed six major marine flyways used by more than 150 migratory seabird species spanning the waters of 54 countries. These routes are not abstract lines on a map, they are living, breathing pathways traveled by albatrosses – the largest of the seabirds – to storm petrels, the smallest – and many in between. The Arctic tern, the world champion of migration, travels almost 100,000 kilometers (over 62,000 miles) a year along these ocean highways. A puffin ringed on Skomer Island in June may be feeding off the coast of Canada by winter.

Despite their resilience and astonishing navigational feats, 42% of these species are globally threatened, more than half are declining, and the ocean is changing faster than they can adapt.

Six marine flyways that were identified from seabird tracking data. Infographic by Hannah Whitman / Birdlife International. — Six marine flyways that were identified from seabird tracking data. Infographic by Hannah Whitman for Birdlife International.

Why marine flyways matter

Seabirds are more than charismatic travelers. They are indicators of ocean health and can guide us to the most important areas for marine biodiversity, like upwellings, feeding grounds, migration corridors and breeding sites on islands or at the coast. When seabirds struggle, it is because the ocean itself is under strain, so they are therefore a very visible indicator of our ocean’s health.

Such research has identified globally important sites – or Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) – for these species across the flyways that can help focus where conservation action is needed most. Lose these, and we lose the species.

Threats to seabirds are relentless and global:

Invasive species such as rats, cats and pigs devastate eggs, chicks, and adult birds on breeding islands,
fisheries kill hundreds of thousands of seabirds every year in nets and other gear,
climate change is shifting food availability and undermining breeding success,
and pollution and overfishing degrade the ecosystems and the food seabirds rely on.

No single country can solve these problems alone. Birds cross borders naturally and without hesitation. Our conservation efforts must do the same.

Arctic terns have the longest migration known in the animal kingdom, flying from the Arctic to the Antarctic each year. Photo by Oddurben from Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 3.0. — Arctic terns have the longest migration known in the animal kingdom, flying between the Arctic and Antarctic regions each year. Photo by Oddurben from Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 3.0.

New blueprint for cooperation

This is why the CMS Resolution matters so profoundly. By recognizing marine flyways as a global conservation framework for action, governments have endorsed a simple but transformative idea: shared routes require shared responsibility.

Marine flyways offer a unifying framework that brings together governments and relevant stakeholders to determine priorities for conservation action, mobilize finances and ultimately benefit migratory seabirds. This framework can help prioritize what actions are needed where, which could include creation of new marine protected areas, invasive species eradications from key breeding colonies, and use of safer fishing practices.

Marine flyways also contribute to the world’s most important environmental agreements. These include the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, Regional Seas Conventions and the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction accord (the BBNJ, also called the High Seas Treaty), which entered into force at the start of the year. Most importantly, it gives governments a shared language and shared accountability.

As scientists, we are trained to be cautious, but there is no room for hesitation here. The data tell a stark story. Without coordinated action at an ocean-basin scale, we will lose many of these species within our lifetimes.

The good news is that the solutions are known, affordable and ready to scale. We know how to eradicate invasive species from islands. We know how to make fisheries safer. We know how to restore habitats and mitigate climate impacts.

What we have lacked, until now, is momentum and a global framework to align these efforts across borders. Marine flyways give us both, and momentum is building. On 11 September 2026, BirdLife International will host its second Global Flyways Summit in Nairobi, Kenya. This gathering will bring together governments, scientists, civil society, local leaders and conservation organizations from around the world. Seabirds will be a major focus and we will share the latest science, highlight successful interventions and build the partnerships needed to protect these species across their entire migratory journeys.

The CMS-15 decision has opened a door. The Global Flyways Summit is our chance to walk through it together.

Marine flyways reveal a truth we can no longer ignore. The ocean is a single, interconnected system, and its protection depends on cooperation at a scale we have never attempted before.

Seabirds have been tracing these routes for millennia. They have shown us the map. Now it is our turn to follow it with urgency, ambition and a shared commitment to safeguarding the ocean that sustains us all.

Tammy Davies is Marine Science Coordinator at BirdLife International, where Aline Kühl-Stenzel is Senior Marine Policy Manager, Marine.

Banner image: An antipodean albatross (Diomedea antipodensis) flies near the sub-Antarctic islands of Aotearoa New Zealand in 2023. Image by OKNZ via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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