The region stretching from East and Southeast Asia to Oceania is a migration route for many waterbird species. However, due to human activities such as coastal development since the 20th century, coastal wetlands, which are their habitats, have been lost, and the number of waterbirds has drastically decreased. In response to this situation, 18 countries are collaborating, with various stakeholders, including governments and civil society organizations, to promote conservation activities. Nevertheless, further efforts are still needed to restore lost wetlands and waterbird populations.

This article introduces the author’s journey from his formative childhood experiences to his activities with "maiPLA," a marine environmental student group based in northern Kyushu. Faced with the structural problem of marine debris that washes ashore across national borders, forcing local communities to deal with it, he develops on-site cleanup efforts and international collaborations with youth in East Asia. Building "transnational trust" beyond mere knowledge sharing and passing on values to the next generation are key to solving the problem.

With only four years left until the 2030 goal of halting biodiversity loss and achieving its restoration, we are now at a critical juncture. Biodiversity information is essential for transforming society into a nature-positive society that grows while regenerating natural capital. This paper introduces "ANEMONE Global," an international biodiversity monitoring network using environmental DNA, as an example of an information infrastructure that generates such biodiversity information.