---
title: "Central Asian Flyway: Bird Migration Route | Model Diplomat"
description: "The Central Asian Flyway is a key migratory route for birds across 30 countries, crucial for conservation efforts and coordinated by India since 2023."
url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/central-asian-flyway"
---

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Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026

TL;DR

- The Central Asian Flyway is a migratory bird route covering 30 countries from the Arctic and European Russia to the Indian Ocean, conserved under the Convention on Migratory Species.
- How does the Central Asian Flyway differ from the East Asian–Australasian Flyway?
- Is the Central Asian Flyway governed by a legally binding treaty?
- What role does India play in the Central Asian Flyway?
- Which species are flagships of the Central Asian Flyway?

[Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services/glossary)Updated June 22, 2026

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## Positions at a glance

### Supporters

India has positioned itself as the institutional anchor of the CAF in recent years. At the thirteenth CMS Conference of the Parties (COP13) held at Gandhinagar, Gujarat, in February 2020—the first CMS COP hosted by India—the Gandhinagar Declaration was adopted and India signalled its intent to lead CAF coordination. In 2023 the Government of India, through the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, announced the establishment of a CAF coordinating unit, and the National Action Plan for Conservation of Migratory Birds along the Central Asian Flyway (2018–2023) provided the domestic policy spine. India had earlier signed CMS memoranda of understanding on the Siberian crane (1998) and on raptors and the dugong. The Wildlife Institute of India in Dehradun supplies much of the supporting research.

### Opponents

The conservation mechanics of the CAF operate primarily through soft-law coordination rather than a single binding instrument. The Conference of the Parties (COP) to CMS adopts the framework and action plans; range states are then expected to designate and protect key sites along the corridor, conduct synchronized waterbird counts, regulate hunting, and report on population trends. Site-level protection is delivered through complementary instruments: Ramsar Convention wetland listings, national protected-area designations, and the Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) network maintained by BirdLife International. The Wetlands International International Waterbird Census provides the population baselines against which favourable conservation status is judged. Each range state retains sovereign discretion over implementation, which distinguishes the CAF from the legally binding AEWA covering the adjacent Atlantic and African corridors.

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In February 2020, India hosted the thirteenth CMS Conference of the Parties at Gandhinagar, Gujarat, where it pledged to lead coordination of the Central Asian Flyway and adopted the Gandhinagar Declaration.

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