Both in its breeding and wintering regions, the Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa limosa) is an iconic flagship species for habitats with low intensity agricultural activities. The coexistence in their breeding regions with dairy farming and in the stop-over and wintering areas with rice cultivation used to be beneficial but has been out of balance for some time.

The Bewick’s Swan (Cygnus columbianus bewickii) is classed as “Least Concern” by IUCN (IUCN 2018), but it is in decline in NW Europe and included as ‘Endangered’ in the European Red List of bird species (BirdLife International 2015). An international single species action plan for the NW European population, adopted by AEWA in 2012 (Nagy et al. 2012), was taken forward by Range States from the swans’ breeding grounds in the Russian Arctic through key staging areas in the Baltic region (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland) to core wintering sites (in the Netherlands, Britain, Germany, Belgium and Denmark).

The Lesser White-fronted Goose (Anser erythropus) is globally threatened and recognized as Vulnerable by the IUCN. Following decades of decline, the two populations covered by the Agreement are seemingly stable or even increasing, with current population estimates of 28,500-40,100 individuals and 100-130 individuals respectively for the Western main and Fennoscandian populations.

Following the 2015 adoption of the AEWA International Single Species Action Plan for the Eurasian Curlew at the 6th Meeting of the AEWA Parties, a first meeting of the AEWA Eurasian Curlew International Working Group focusing on the breeding range states of N. a. arquata took place on the 4-6 September 2018 at the Scottish Ornithologists Club in Aberlady, Scotland.