north american bird conservation initiative. what nabci is a vision — an approach to bird...
TRANSCRIPT
North American Bird Conservation
Initiative
What NABCI is
A vision —
an approach to bird conservation
A Forum —
for working together to make conservation happen
What NABCI is not
• A decision-making authority
• Competitor for conservation funding
• A conservation delivery mechanism
NABCI is a Vision
“Populations and habitats of North America's birds protected, restored, and enhanced through coordinated efforts at international, national, regional, state, and local levels, guided by sound science and effective management.”
U.S. NABCI Committee, September 2000
NABCI Vision grew from realization that: Despite our best efforts, bird populations still
face tremendous threats to long-term health Only through a coordinated, integrated approach
can these large-scale threats be overcome
The proactive, partnership-based bird conservation initiatives of the past 20 years are the framework to build upon
Waterbird Conservation forthe Americas
North American Waterfowl Management Plan
Partners in Flight
United States Shorebird Conservation Plan Resident Game
Bird Working Group
NABCI is a forum for: Initiating and broadening partnerships for bird
conservation Increasing funding for conserving birds in North
America Making partnerships and resources more effective
by fostering integrated bird conservation Building on existing structures such as Joint
Ventures, and stimulating new JV-like structures and mechanisms as appropriate
Developing a common ecological framework for conservation planning and delivery on a landscape scale
What NABCI is
NOT
NABCI Authority and Decision-Making The U.S. NABCI Committee has no legal
authority No single individual or entity has top-down
authority over NABCI and its participants To the degree that there is a NABCI
“organization,” it is designed to serve as a forum to exchange ideas, discuss issues, and help move integrated bird conservation forward
NABCI “Organization” in U.S. U.S. NABCI Committee
Steve Williams, ChairU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Tom Bennet Intl. Assoc. of Fish and Wildlife AgenciesKentucky Fish and Wildlife Agency
David PashleyAmerican Bird ConservancyRepresenting the NGO Subcommittee
Gary MyersTN Wildlife Resources AgencyRepresenting Partners in Flight
Richard BishopIA Department of Natural ResourcesRepresenting the North American
Waterfowl Management Plan
Ellie CohenPoint Reyes Bird ObservatoryRepresenting the U.S. Shorebird
Conservation Plan
Ron GeorgeTexas Parks and WildlifeRepresenting the Migratory Shore and
Upland Game Bird Working Group
Kathy ParsonsManomet Center for Conservation SciencesRepresenting the North American Waterbird
Conservation Plan
Rollie SparroweWildlife Management Institute
Bob EllisVA Dept. of Game and Inland FisheriesRepresenting the National Flyway Council
Val MezainisUSDA Forest Service, Intl. ProgramsRepresenting the Federal Agency
Subcomm.
Rebecca FrankRepresenting the Joint Venture Management
Board Chairs
John FramptonSC Department of Natural ResourcesRepresenting the Resident Game Bird
Working Group
Scott YaichDucks Unlimited
NABCI Subcommittees/Working Groups• Staff Committee
• Federal Agency Subcommittee
• NGO Subcommittee
• State Subcommittee
• Monitoring Working Group
• Communications Working Group
• National Coordinator, Bob Ford
NABCI “Organization” at regional, state, and local levelsNone is needed!
Partners work through existing organizations and coalitions
Joint Ventures undertaking all-bird conservation
NABCI “Organization” Tri-nationally
Tri-national NABCI Committee
3 representatives each from Mexico, Canada, and United States
United States Representatives:
Paul Schmidt – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
George Fenwick – American Bird Conservancy
Gary Myers – Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
NABCI in Canada and Mexico Both countries have national
committees NABCI and integrated bird
conservation have evolved differently from U.S.
NABCI in Central and South America NABCI currently focused on U.S., Canada,
and Mexico However, more than 330 species spend two-
thirds of year migrating through and wintering in other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean
Some bird conservation initiatives and many partner organizations work there already
NABCI has the flexibility to expand in future
Bird conservation funding: Very limited funding dedicated to NABCI
itself: NABCI Coordinator position Communications Partner organization staff time and in-kind
contributions Partners are not bound by funding directives Increasing conservation funding is a priority However, on-the-ground funding will NOT
go “through” NABCI
Conservation delivery mechanism NABCI as an “organization” does
not deliver conservation on the ground
This is done through the agencies, organizations, and partnerships that are best suited to deliver it
Examples
What NABCI is doing to further bird conservation Bird Conservation Regions Action Plan
Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs) Ecologically distinct regions in North America
with similar bird communities, habitats, and resource management issues
Developed in 1998 to: facilitate communication among the bird conservation
initiatives systematically and ecologically apportion Canada, the
U.S., and Mexico into conservation units facilitate a regional approach to bird conservation promote new, expanded, or restructured partnerships identify overlapping or conflicting conservation priorities
NABCI Action Plan
Developed by U.S. NABCI Committee
Priority focus of efforts at national level
Action: Secure a source of funding for upland bird conservation projects
• Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act
• State Wildlife Grants Program
• Farm Bill Conservation Programs
• Landowner Incentive Program
• Others
Action: Increase appropriations to federal agencies to allow them to achieve their bird conservation objectives
• Increase of $215 million being sought
• Will allow federal agencies to deliver their bird conservation responsibilities
Action: Assure that state wildlife agencies have the capacity to allow them to appropriately contribute to achieving bird conservation objectives
• State wildlife grants/CARA
• State all-bird conservation workshops
• Others
Action: Achieve comprehensive national coverage by effective bird conservation partnerships such as Joint Ventures
Joint Venture Partnerships
Regionally based coalitions of public and private orgs developed under the NAWMP
Accepting challenge of being the mechanism for carrying out multiple bird conservation plans using an integrated approach
Staff hired in several BCR’s to work closely with JVs to develop technical capacity and collaborative planning needed
Staff also hired to work in some regions not covered by existing JVs to develop similar partnerships and capabilities
Waterfowl Habitat Areas
of Major ConcernNAWMP
1986
Joint Ventures(in green)NAWMP
1996
Joint Ventures and Other Bird Conservation Partnerships
2002
Action: Maintain the health and vitality of the bird conservation initiatives
• Funding for adequate staffing and assurance of continued broad participation
• Serve as perennial source of best biological information
Action: Increase the capacity of U.S.-based organizations to contribute to effective bird conservation internationally
• Completion of Tri-national MOU
• Broaden awareness within U.S. Bird conservation community of obligations outside U.S.
Action: Develop and implement a communication strategy
• Strategy completed• Products
1. Web site: www.nabci-us.org2. Q&A3. This presentation4. Case studies
• Help secure continued increases in bird conservation funding
• Develop collaborative conservation communications efforts
Action: Nurture a system capable of adequately monitoring all of the birds of the country
• Increase capacity for assessing population status
• Improve understanding of population responses to management activities
• Use monitoring results in an adaptive context
Action: Work toward an agricultural policy that provides significant benefits for bird populations
• Improve accessibility to existing programs
• Develop tools and information for delivering bird conservation through private lands programs
• Continue to tie programs to bird conservation plans
www.nabci-us.orgBob Ford, U.S. NABCI Coordinator
US Fish and Wildlife Service4401 North Fairfax Drive
MBSP-4075Arlington, VA 22203
Phone: 703-358-1784
Fax: 703-358-2282
Canvasback
Snowy Egret
Prothonotary WarblerNorthern Saw-whet Owl
Marbled Godwit
Blue Grouse