Opening of the 2026 Mutis Biodiversity Dialogues in Panama City. ©CAF
AFI at the Mutis Dialogues: When Migratory Birds Guide Investments for Sustainable Development
Panama City, June 10, 2026 Within the framework of the second edition of the Mutis Biodiversity Dialogues—a platform launched by the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF) to strengthen the regional conversation on biodiversity, science, innovation, and financing—the National Audubon Society, BirdLife International, and CAF will highlight the progress of the Americas Flyways Initiative (AFI).
AFI arrives at this gathering with a core message: protecting migratory birds is not only a conservation priority but also an opportunity to guide better investment decisions and sustainable development.
The Americas are a critical region for global biodiversity. Three of the world’s eight major bird migratory flyways traverse the continent, connecting ecosystems from the Arctic Circle to Tierra del Fuego. While this network sustains one of the planet’s greatest concentrations of bird diversity, it also faces escalating pressures: many breeding, stopover, and wintering sites are disappearing or degrading due to habitat loss, climate change, and other impacts associated with unplanned development.
In response to this challenge, AFI proposes a hemispheric approach that goes beyond traditional conservation. The initiative seeks to protect migratory birds, their habitats, and the communities that depend on them through tangible sustainable development projects, integrating applied science and financing mechanisms.
“A few years ago, it would have been difficult to imagine the financial and environmental sectors designing strategies together to conserve birds. Today, the climate crisis and biodiversity loss show us that these worlds are deeply connected,” — Elizabeth Gray, CEO of the National Audubon Society.
AFI is already in action with an initial pipeline of projects. Early case studies include the Rocuant-Andalién wetland system in Chile, the Lago de Chongón–Posorja Transmission Line in Ecuador, and the new CAF headquarters in Panama City. Additionally, six projects have requested support from the initiative and are currently under review.
These initial cases demonstrate how migratory bird science can be translated into concrete planning, design, and investment decisions. From wetlands and biodiverse landscapes to energy infrastructure and urban buildings, AFI aims to ensure that biodiversity is considered during the early stages of a project, rather than merely as an afterthought for mitigation.
AFI’s presentation at the Mutis Dialogues reinforces a pivotal conversation for the region: how to convert scientific knowledge about biodiversity into concrete solutions for sustainable development. In this regard, CAF will allocate USD 40 billion over the next five years to finance sustainable growth and drive climate action, including areas such as energy transition, water security, infrastructure, and coastal management.
“At CAF, we seek to consolidate our position as the green bank of Latin America and the Caribbean. For this reason, we have set a goal that, by 2031, 50% of our financing will be oriented toward green initiatives, and 10% will be allocated specifically to biodiversity,”
Alicia Montalvo, VP of Cooperation, Alliances, and Mobilization at CAF.
Beyond individual projects, AFI seeks to establish a replicable model so that development banks, governments, the private sector, conservation organizations, local partners, and communities can work together toward a single vision. The goal is for biodiversity to move from being an additional component to becoming an integral part of decisions from the outset: from opportunity identification and technical design to financing and implementation. This vision aims to contribute to the ‘effective management of more than 30 critical terrestrial and marine landscapes, and to support the protection of 10% of migratory bird populations in the Americas by 2050.
At a time when Latin America and the Caribbean are seeking new paths toward sustainable growth, AFI puts forward a powerful idea: migratory birds can help identify where to invest and how to design better projects to generate lasting benefits for biodiversity, ecosystems, and people.
“We must try, whenever we can, to raise awareness about the wonder of migratory birds and the importance of the places where they live. Because if people are aware, they are more likely to care; and if they care, they are more likely to act.”
Martin Harper, CEO of BirdLife International
About the Americas Flyways Initiative (AFI)
AFI is a partnership between the National Audubon Society, BirdLife International, and the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF). Its goal is to protect, conserve, and restore key biodiversity sites along the migratory flyways of the Americas, integrating applied science and financing mechanisms.