the amazing journeys these animals undertake. A number of studies suggest that in addition to the storage and depletion of fat, the muscles and internal organs also undergo consider- bale change in size during the course of long-distance migra- tions (Piersma, 1998). For the red knot (Calidris canutus) the “airport” analogy fits well and illustrates just how important it is to protect the essential refuelling sites. Red knots set off in April with large fat reserves (fuel) from the airport “West Coast National Park” (the Langebaan Lagoon tidal flats in South Africa) to fly 7,000–8,000 km until they reach the tidal flats of Guinea Bissau, the airport “Banc d’Arguin National Park” in Mauritania. They recover the resources they lost and intensive- ly feed for three weeks on protein-rich shellfish allowing them to almost double in weight. The next long-haul flight of 48–72 hours in duration takes them to the UNESCO World Heritage Site “Wadden Sea”, which is also covered by a CMS agreement on seals. Having lost most of their “African fuel” the birds once again refuel for the last leap to the “Great Arctic Reserve” on Taimyr in North Siberia (Dick et al., 1987; Prokosch, 1988).

International conservation cooperation within the framework of the African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) along the East Atlantic Flyway is ongoing in an effort to protect as many of these crucial airports (large scale tidal flats) as national parks or other types of MPAs as possible.

Similar international conservation cooperation needs to scale up in the region of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, where in particular the tidal flats of the Yellow Sea are the most im-

Figure 20: The East Asian-Australasian flyway for migratory birds.

portant “airport”. Much has happened in the last two decades along the eastern Yellow Sea coast. Traditionally, reclamation of tidal flats was limited to agricultural purposes. However, in only the last two decades of the 20th century, nearly 800 km2 of coastal wetlands on the south-western coast of Korea have been lost to reclamation for industrial development. Huge proj- ects like Saemangeum, which enclosed 400 km2

of tidal flats

including the two estuaries of Mangyeung and Dongjin with a 33 km long dyke, have decreased important refueling space for Arctic shorebirds significantly.

Now, through public debate in the media about the advantages and disadvantages of reclamation projects, local communities are joining forces in the eastern Yellow Sea region to protect the tidal flats from further deterioration and destruction. National policy in South Korea is also turning from reclamation to con- servation and wise use (Van de Kam et al., 2010).

On the following pages a number of CMS-relevant case studies of migratory birds and bats are presented.

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