The Arctic Migratory Birds Initiative (AMBI) is a project designed to improve the status and secure the long-term sustainability of declining Arctic breeding migratory bird populations.

Through conservation of a shared natural and cultural resource, AMBI will have a positive impact on societies for whom migratory birds are a source of livelihood and spiritual inspiration.

The 2013 Arctic Biodiversity Assessment found that Many Arctic migratory species are threatened by overharvest and habitat alteration outside the Arctic, especially birds along the East Asian flyway. AMBI provides implementation of Recommendation #8 of the Arctic Biodiversity Assessment to ‘reduce stressors on migratory species range-wide, including habitat degradation and overharvesting on wintering and staging areas and along flyways and other migration routes’.

AMBI organizes activities across four flyways:

AMBI has brought together experts from across the globe to develop workplans for each of the above flyways that address priority conservation needs of AMBI priority species in each respective geography. Actions proposed by AMBI are designed to bring added value to ongoing conservation workplans are intended to stand alone, there are several crosscutting themes that are relevant for experts identified four cross-cutting actions that need to be implemented in all flyways:

1. Increase data sharing and standardization along and across flyways
2. Assess cumulative effects on Arctic-breeding migratory bird populations including climate change, pollution, shipping, fishing, infrastructure development, habitat loss, and harvest 
3. Support conservation actions for Arctic-breeding migratory birds in non-Arctic countries through coordinated cooperative efforts with embassies and other diplomatic efforts, 
4. Support the sharing of experiences and expertise between wetlands that support Arctic breeding migratory bird populations 

AMBI summary 

AMBI's objectives, actions and work is detailed in the AMBI 2019-2025 Work Plan. As a CAFF project, AMBI takes guidance and direction from the CAFF Management Board and feeds into Arctic Council structures, processes and reporting procedures.

AMBI is guided by a Steering Group comprised of interested Arctic states and key project partner organizations. The Steering Group is responsible for overall AMBI direction and implementation.

Each flyway is represented by a Flyway Committee containing Arctic and non-Arctic country representatives, project partners and others. Flyway Committee members were consulted in the development of their respective workplans. 

AMBI implementation is navigated by a series of Flyway Coordinators and an overall AMBI coordinator. This structure is the basis for the implementation, fundraising and continued follow up of this workplan. Flyway coordinators provide regular reporting, feedback and coordination amongst multiple project partners, the CAFF Board and Arctic Council on AMBI implementation.

AMBI continues to expand its membership amongst interested partners and welcomes continued cooperation amongst all parties, in particular with Permanent Participants of the Arctic Council.

Priority species in the 2019-2025 work plan

Bar-tailed godwit (Photo: USFWS)	Dunlin (Photo: shellgame/Flickr CC 2.0)
Great knot (Photo: ken/Flickr CC 2.0)	Red knot  (Photo: Morten Ekker)
Spoon-billed sandpiper (Photo: Chris Miller)	Lesser white-fronted goose (Photo: Morten Ekker)
Curlew sandpiper (Photo: Shutterstock.com)	Semipalmated sandpiper (Photo: Lisa Pirie, ECCC)
Common Eider (Photo: Micha Klootwijk/Shutterstock.com)	Snowy owl (Photo Berndt Vorwald/Shutterstock.com)
Ivory Gull (Photo: Todd Bowland/Shutterstock.com)	Thick-billed murre  (Photo: Morten Ekker)
Emperor goose (Photo: Kristine Sowl/USFWS)	Brant goose (Photo: USFWS)
Long-tailed duck  (Photo: Morten Ekker)	Velvet scoter (Photo: Asa Berndtsson/Flickr CC 2.0)
Red phalarope (Photo: WHSRN)	Red-necked phalarope (Photo: USFWS)
Buff-breasted sandpiper (Photo: Shiloh Schulte/USFWS)	Whimbrel (Photo: Grigorii Pisotsckii/Shutterstock.com)
Yellow-breasted Bunting (Photo: Ilya Ukovlov)	Northern fulmar (Photo: Marit Zirna/Shutterstock.com)

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