The Northeast Asian Subregional Programme for Environmental Cooperation (NEASPEC) supported the recent international meeting held from 26 to 28 February at the WWF Jockey Club Mai Po Peter Scott Visitor Centre in Hong Kong SAR. The meeting brought together over 35 conservation experts and stakeholders to initiate the revision of the Black-faced Spoonbill International Single Species Action Plan (ISSAP) for 2026-2036. This revised action plan will be crucial in addressing emerging threats and strengthening conservation efforts for the endangered species, ensuring its continued recovery and long-term survival.

As a key regional platform for transboundary environmental cooperation, NEASPEC has supported conservation efforts for migratory birds. The 27th Senior Officials Meeting (SOM-27) endorsed this activity as part of NEASPEC’s commitment to strengthening regional collaboration for biodiversity and nature conservation. This revision of the ISSAP aligns with NEASPEC’s Nature Conservation Strategy in promoting coordinated conservation action across Northeast Asia.

The Black-faced Spoonbill (Platalea minor), listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List and included in Appendix I of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), has been a flagship species for international conservation. It is also covered under bilateral migratory bird agreements between China, the Republic of Korea and Japan. Thanks to the coordinated conservation efforts, its population grew from fewer than 300 individuals in 1989 to nearly 7,000 in 2024. However, mounting habitat pressures, urban expansion, renewable energy infrastructure, avian diseases, and climate change present emerging threats, making the revision of the ISSAP essential to guide future conservation actions.

This meeting aims to work with experts and key stakeholders from across the species’ range, including China (including the Mainland, Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, and others), the Republic of Korea, Japan, and the Philippines, to evaluate conservation outcomes from the current ISSAP, assess the species' current status, identify conservation gaps and threats, and develop the new ISSAP framework for concerted conservation efforts for 2026-2036.