The North American Water Bird conservation Plan is a comprehensive framework to ensure the long-term protection and conservation of water birds and their habitats across North America. It was developed by various government agencies, conservation organizations, academic institutions, industry groups and other stakeholders in an effort to collaboratively manage and conserve water bird populations.
Background
Water birds represent a diverse group of species that are ecologically, economically, and culturally important across North America. They include seabirds, coastal water birds, marsh birds, and wading birds that depend on wetland and aquatic habitats for breeding, migrating and wintering. Many of these species have experienced population declines in recent decades due to a variety of threats such as habitat loss and degradation, pollution, unsustainable harvesting, and climate change.
In response to declining trends, the North American Waterbird Conservation Council was created in 1999 to facilitate coordination and communication among various stakeholders involved in water bird conservation. This council helped develop the North American Waterbird Conservation Plan, which was first published in 2002 after several years of collaborative development and expert review.
Overview of the Plan
The North American Waterbird Conservation Plan identifies priority species and habitats, sets population objectives, outlines recommended conservation actions, and establishes a framework to deliver integrated bird conservation across the continent. Some key components of the plan include:
- Identifies over 190 species of water birds in North America and categorizes their population status and trends.
- Establishes habitat and population objectives for each species to help guide conservation efforts.
- Highlights key breeding, migrating, and wintering sites across North America that are critical for water bird populations.
- Recommends conservation actions in 6 major categories: policy, planning, protection, management, monitoring, and outreach.
- Promotes an integrated landscape approach by encouraging collaboration across political boundaries and considering entire ecosystems.
- Provides regional implementation plans that identify priorities and actions tailored to specific areas.
- Establishes recommended monitoring protocols to track the status and trends of water bird populations and evaluate conservation efforts over time.
Priority Species and Habitats
The plan categorizes water bird species into different groups based on the relative importance of North American populations and habitats to their overall populations. This helps target conservation efforts towards those species with the greatest need. Categories include:
- Continental importance: Species where over 50% of global population utilizes North American habitats.
- Regional concern: Species where North America holds an important but smaller percentage of global population.
- Local concern: Species that are rare or declining locally but more secure overall.
Some high priority species identified in the plan include:
- Marbled Murrelet
- Wood Stork
- Whooping Crane
- Piping Plover
- Red Knot
- American White Pelican
Key habitats highlighted as conservation priorities include:
- Coastal wetlands
- Inland wetlands
- Salt marshes
- Mudflats
- Seagrass beds
- Large rivers and deltas
Implementation
Implementation of the North American Waterbird Conservation Plan is carried out through partnerships among government agencies, non-profit organizations, academic institutions, private landowners, and other stakeholders at international, national, regional, and local scales.
At the international level, the plan is coordinated by the North American Waterbird Conservation Council, which includes representatives from the United States, Canada, and Mexico. This council facilitates communication, provides guidance, and tracks progress on achieving waterbird conservation goals across the continent.
More specific regional implementation plans have also been developed that provide detailed priorities and work plans tailored to priority species and habitats in key geographic areas such as the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. These regional plans help convert broad continental objectives into on-the-ground action.
At local levels, implementation relies on initiatives led by individual states/provinces, conservation groups, land managers, and others to conduct habitat restoration and management, ecological research, population monitoring, outreach, and other conservation actions guided by the broader goals of the plan.
Revisions and Updates
The North American Waterbird Conservation Plan is intended to be an evolving, adaptive document. The original plan published in 2002 has undergone one major revision, which was released in 2012. This revision updated species and habitat priorities, population objectives, status assessments, threats analyses, and recommendations based on the latest available science and data.
Range-wide population monitoring surveys and databases managed through initiatives like the Waterbird Monitoring Partnership provide data to enable regular status assessments and updates for priority species. The plan outlines processes for subsequently reviewing progress and revising components of the plan on roughly 5-year intervals, with the next potential revision expected around 2022.
This iterative process allows the plan to incorporate new information and changing conditions to remain relevant and facilitate adaptive management of waterbird populations across North America over the long term.
Partnerships
Development and implementation of the North American Waterbird Conservation Plan relies on extensive collaboration among many different partners, including:
- Federal, state/provincial, and local government agencies from all three countries
- Non-profit conservation organizations
- University researchers
- Industry groups
- Tribal/First Nations governments and native organizations
- Private landowners
Some of the key partner organizations include:
| Organization Type | Examples |
|---|---|
| Government Agencies | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada, SEMARNAT (Mexico) |
| Non-profit Groups | Ducks Unlimited, The Nature Conservancy, National Audubon Society, Bird Studies Canada |
| Academic Institutions | University of California-Davis, Trent University, Simon Fraser University |
These types of public-private partnerships among multiple stakeholders across all three countries are critical for successfully implementing a comprehensive, coordinated conservation effort across such a large geographic scope.
Conclusion
The North American Waterbird Conservation Plan provides an essential framework to guide collaborative efforts to protect habitat and manage populations of migratory water birds that cross international borders and traverse entire continents. By bringing together diverse partners under a shared set of population goals, priority species and habitats, recommended actions, and monitoring protocols, the plan facilitates integrated bird conservation at multiple scales across North America.
Regular revision and update of the plan allows it to adapt to changing conditions and improve outcomes for waterbirds over time. Effective implementation will require continued commitment, resources, and coordination among the many governmental and non-governmental partners engaged in waterbird conservation across North America.
