The tool (available at www.wingsoverwetlands.org/csntool) provides information on over 3,000 wetland sites and flyways used by 294 species of migratory waterbirds across Africa, Central Asia, Europe and the Middle East in order to better coordinate conservation activities.

Waterbirds travel vast distances, crossing many countries and often entire continents during their annual migration cycles along ‘flyways’ that connect breeding, staging and non-breeding areas.

These migratory cycles highlight the connectivity and interdependence of ecosystems across the globe. Complementary local, national and international conservation action is essential to maintaining healthy waterbird populations and conserving critical wetland sites along the flyways.

The wetlands also fulfill vital environmental roles, making them important  for people locally and on a wider scale.

The Critical Site Network Tool is an online resource that combines four existing databases used for international waterbird and wetland conservation. It will enhance the ability of international conservation efforts to target action towards critically endangered wetland sites.

The tool was jointly developed by Wetlands International, BirdLife International and the United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre as part of the Wings Over Wetlands (WOW) project. The development of the tool involved the collaboration of 200 experts from 100 countries in the African–Eurasian region.

WOW is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Government of Germany, the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) and a wide range of other donors. UNOPS provides project management services to WOW.

Executive Secretary of AEWA, Bert Lenten said: "The Critical Site Network Tool will provide an unprecedented level of access to information for all waterbird species covered by the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement. It brings together for the first time some of the most current and comprehensive information available internationally on the species and the sites they use."

"To target conservation efforts effectively, access to reliable information about the critical sites that migratory waterbirds depend upon, and the ecological requirements of these species, is key," he added.