Transboundary Policy Perspectives on Migratory Bird Stopover Sites Conservation: A Case Study of Yancheng (China) and Geelong (Australia)

A transboundary conservation model is proposed to address governance gaps hindering the protection of migratory shorebird stopover sites, which are crucial for long-distance migration but increasingly threatened by habitat degradation and energy development. The study compares legal frameworks and implementation mechanisms in Geelong (Australia) and Yancheng (China), revealing that Australia's federal system leads to fragmented governance with inconsistent protection standards, while China faces coordination challenges due to overlapping responsibilities and conflicts between renewable energy expansion and ecological protection. Both systems neglect migratory shorebirds as stakeholders in local planning, limiting the effectiveness of stopover-site networks. The proposed model integrates legal harmonization, ecological buffer zones, joint monitoring programs, and sustainable financing mechanisms to enhance conservation outcomes.

Wang, Y. (2026). Transboundary Policy Perspectives on Migratory Bird Stopover Sites Conservation: A Case Study of Yancheng (China) and Geelong (Australia). Wildlife Letters, 4(3), 149–159. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1002/wll2.70048