Rennell and Bellona strengthen commitment to biosecurity through provincial Coordination Workshop. 19 June 2026 Follow-up to the project: Honiara, 3 June 2026 - Government agencies, provincial authorities, key partners and stakeholders have reaffirmed their commitment to protecting Rennell and Bellona Province from invasive species and biosecurity threats following the successful Rennell and Bellona Biosecurity Plan Implementation and Coordination Workshop held on 2 June. The workshop brought together representatives from national and provincial government agencies, maritime authorities, communities and partner organisations to discuss the implementation of the Rennell and Bellona Biosecurity Plan and strengthen coordination among agencies responsible for its delivery. Opening the workshop, Deputy Provincial Secretary Mr Aubrey Saueha highlighted the importance of the Biosecurity Plan in protecting the province's unique biodiversity, food security and livelihoods. He noted that Rennell and Bellona is the first province in Solomon Islands to develop a provincial biosecurity plan and expressed hope that it would serve as a model for other provinces. Mr Saueha emphasised that protecting the province from invasive species is particularly important given its remoteness, limited transport links and dependence on local food production. Representing Biosecurity Solomon Islands (BSI), Director Ms. Jean Eroa Manepora'a stressed that effective biosecurity is essential for safeguarding agriculture, biodiversity, human health and local economies. She noted that the Rennell and Bellona Biosecurity Plan provides a practical roadmap for managing invasive species threats and is fully aligned with Solomon Islands' legislative and policy framework. "The law provides the authority; the Plan provides the roadmap. Together they enable us to take practical action to protect the province from invasive species and other biosecurity threats," said Ms. Manepora'a. She also highlighted the importance of strong collaboration between government agencies, communities, transport operators, businesses and development partners in ensuring successful implementation of the Plan. In her welcome remarks on behalf of BirdLife International, Ms Miliana Ravuso acknowledged the significant effort invested over the past several years to develop the Biosecurity Plan through consultation and collaboration among stakeholders. She encouraged participating agencies to embed biosecurity responsibilities into their routine operations and emphasised the importance of shared ownership, commitment and accountability in implementing the Plan. The workshop concluded with several important outcomes. Participants agreed that Biosecurity Solomon Islands will take the lead role in coordinating implementation of the Biosecurity Plan, with support from the Rennell and Bellona Provincial Government and other partner agencies. Participants also recognised the need for a Provincial Biosecurity Ordinance to provide a stronger legal framework for implementing the Plan, with BSI and the Provincial Government committing to work together to advance its development. In addition, agencies agreed on a coordination mechanism that will support ongoing communication, collaboration and follow-through on agreed actions. The workshop reaffirmed the shared responsibility of all stakeholders in protecting Rennell and Bellona's globally significant biodiversity, agricultural resources and communities from the impacts of invasive species. Participants expressed confidence that through strong partnerships and coordinated action, the province can successfully implement its Biosecurity Plan and strengthen biosecurity management for future generations. The workshop was supported through funding from the Kiwa Initiative and implemented through BirdLife International as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen invasive species management and biodiversity conservation in Rennell and Bellona Province. TAVULI NEWS

Building momentum for flyway conservation. Since our historic announcement with the World Bank five months ago, the momentum behind BirdLife International's flyway conservation push is building and accelerating. When we first set out our shared ambition to align development finance with nature-positive outcomes for migratory birds, we knew that delivery would depend on strong coordination, strategic partnerships and robust technical foundations. Our partnership is built entirely on shared expertise and learning, with no financial support currently provided by either organisation. Today, we are proud to share the tangible progress made across all these fronts. From vision to coordinated action A core priority has been to establish the structures needed to turn ambition into impact. Over the past five months, we have established dedicated technical and strategic teams within BirdLife International. This coordination ensures alignment across regions and themes, and enables faster decision-making, clearer accountability and stronger collaboration across our Partnership. Strengthening partnerships for greater impact In November, following our successful partnerships with the Asian Development Bank for the East Asian Australasian Flyway and CAF, the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean for the Americas flyway, BirdLife and the World Bank formally launched our joint African-Eurasian Flyway Initiative. This marked a new chapter in collaboration between conservation organisations and multilateral development banks. This was followed in January by BirdLife-led consultations with technical representatives of Multilateral Environmental Agreements, such as the Ramsar Convention, the Convention on Migratory Species, the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement and others, strengthening alignment of our work with global biodiversity and migratory species frameworks. Together, these engagements ensure that flyway conservation is embedded in the policy and financing architecture that shapes development decisions worldwide. Mobilising resources at scale Securing sustainable finance is essential to safeguarding migratory birds across continents. We are delighted to have successfully secured a €5.2 million EU LIFE grant to support conservation of the Egyptian Vulture with Partners across Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, North Macedonia, Türkiye, Ethiopia and Nigeria. This landmark investment demonstrates a growing confidence in and global embrace of BirdLife's flyway approach. In parallel, we developed a £7.5 million restoration and scaling proposal centred around seven BirdLife Partners along the flyway and prepared more than 30 priority flyway site investment profiles to catalyse further funding. A dedicated resource mobilisation strategy maps existing donors and scopes prospective supporters, while a complementary proposal for a Civil Society global flyway grant mechanism is being developed with other multilateral development bank partners, which would be a transformative step for long-term financing. Header image: (C) Javiera Perez Ribalta Building a strong identity and global platform Communications have played a central role in amplifying this work. Over the past months, we have developed a launch video for the African-Eurasian Flyway Initiative (AEFI), created a dedicated brand identity and guidelines for the African-Eurasian Flyway, and established a new webpage showcasing our engagement with multilateral development banks. On 11 September 2026, BirdLife International will host its second Global Flyways Summit in Nairobi, Kenya. This gathering will bring together governments, financiers, experts and civil society around shared solutions for migratory bird conservation. This milestone event for migratory birds will also see the premiere of a brand-new series of short films on the flyways featuring the crucial work of our BirdLife Partners. Shaping policy and practice Looking ahead, we are scoping the development of bird-inclusive investment principles and guidelines for multilateral development banks - practical tools to help mainstream nature-positive approaches into infrastructure and development finance. Engagements are planned at CMS COP15, including with the Energy Taskforce, London Climate Action Week, CBD COP, and we're exploring options for regional and sector-specific capacity-building workshops to strengthen implementation on the ground. A strong technical foundation Underpinning all this work is rigorous science. In recent months, we have assessed and ranked more than 5,680 Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas and Key Biodiversity Areas across the flyway for their significance for migratory birds. Partner consultations have identified 256 priority flyway sites along the eastern side of the African-Eurasian Flyway, with parallel consultations underway along the western side of the flyway. This evidence base will guide AEFI's inception phase, helping us identify the priority sites, countries and landscapes where early investment amongst our over80 Partners in the flyway can deliver the greatest impact for migratory birds. Once initial priority countries are confirmed, we will reach out to governments, local civil society organisations and research organisations to ensure strong alignment and mutually beneficial approaches. With pilot countries established, we will then work to scale the approach across the flyway. At the same time, consultations with the World Bank are exploring how BirdLife can integrate our knowledge and expertise as the world's global authority on birds into the Bank's project pipeline, providing technical advice to mainstream nature-positive solutions into development investments. The direction has become clear rapidly: by combining science, partnership and finance, BirdLife International and our allies are reshaping how development works for migratory birds. The task ahead remains immense, but the foundations are firmly in place - and the flyway future we envision is closer than ever.