FWS Invests $3.5 Million to Conserve Declining Warblers, Sandpipers and other Migratory Birds
Migratory birds throughout the Western Hemisphere received a boost this
week when U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe approved $3.5
million in grants for 27 collaborative conservation projects across the
Americas. These Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act grants will
leverage a 3.5-to-1 return for conservation, matching the Service’s
investment with about $12.5 million in private funds. The projects will
conserve more than 250,000 acres of migratory bird habitat, stimulate
critical research into declining bird populations, and fund outreach
programs to raise local awareness of conservation issues and solutions.
More than 350 species of Neotropical migratory birds migrate to and from
the United States each year, including warblers, plovers, sandpipers,
terns, hawks, flycatchers and sparrows. The populations of many of these
birds are in decline, and several species are currently considered
endangered or threatened as a result of habitat loss, pollution or climate
change.
“Birds provide millions of Americans with enjoyment and a real connection
to nature. They also pollinate our crops and protect them from pests, and
generate $11 billion in local, state and federal tax revenues each year
through the birdwatching industry,” said Ashe. “But while we may think of
them as ‘our’ birds, they actually only spend part of each year in the
U.S., and so to conserve them, we must work internationally with partners
to protect their habitats and reduce threats across the Americas. This is
what makes the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act so unique,
important and effective; it funds collaborative conservation projects
throughout these birds’ breeding and winter ranges.”
Grants and matching funds received through the Act will support
public-private partnerships to conserve Neotropical migratory birds and
their habitats throughout their migratory ranges, from their breeding sites
in Canada and the United States, to their wintering sites in Mexico,
Central America, South America and the Caribbean. This year’s grants will
benefit hundreds of species in 15 countries. Project highlights include:
- *Bay** of Panama:* Located near the mouth of the Panama Canal beside
the narrow isthmus between North and South America, the Bay of Panama is a
critical migration and wintering site for more than 33 species of North
American breeding shorebirds, including more than 30% of the U.S.
population of the Western Sandpiper. The habitats these birds rely upon are
highly threatened by development pressure from Panama City. In
collaboration with 30 local organizations, grantee National Audubon Society
will strengthen communications to local people about the importance of the
Bay of Panama to the economy, to Neotropical shorebirds, and to
environmental and human health.
- *Asunción** Bay: *A total of 32 species of Neotropical migratory birds
have been recorded in Asunción Bay, located along the northern outskirts of
the capital of Paraguay. It is globally significant as a stopover site for
the Buff-breasted Sandpiper. The development of a coastal road has
reconnected the urban population of Asunción with its natural heritage, but
destroyed about 70% of the shorebird habitat in the bay. Local and national
government agencies will work with NGO Guyra Paraguay to restore and manage
60 acres of priority habitats within Asunción Bay. Guyra Paraguay will hire
reserve guards and train local people to be ecotourism guides, and engage
with media to raise awareness for bay conservation.
Seven projects are funded under a pilot program started in 2012, designed
to focus resources on a group of particularly threatened birds. By making a
long-term investment in priority species and monitoring population
improvements, these projects will allow the Service to learn, adapt and be
strategic in how we manage conservation funding. A pilot program highlight
from this round:
- *The Endangered Golden-cheeked Warbler* breeds in central Texas, and
relies on pine-oak forests in Central America for its wintering grounds.
Grantee Fundación Defensores de la Naturaleza is partnering with an
alliance of organizations in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and
Nicaragua to increase the amount of Golden-cheeked Warbler wintering
habitat under legal protection or being managed through sustainable
agroforestry. It will also establish a monitoring system for the species
to develop measurable population objectives for a 5-10 year conservation
plan.
“The Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act conserves Neotropical
migrants for the benefit of people throughout the Americas,” said Jerome
Ford, Fish and Wildlife Service Assistant Director for Migratory Birds. “By
investing in priority species, key habitats, and successful conservation
actions, we achieve the highest impact for each grant dollar invested and
make a real difference for birds.”
The Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act of 2000 established the
matching grants program to fund projects to conserve Neotropical migratory
birds in the United States, Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean. Funds
may be used to protect, research, monitor and manage bird populations and
habitat, as well as to conduct law enforcement and community outreach and
education. The Act requires a partner-to-grant dollar match of 3-to-1, but
has achieved a ratio closer to 4-to-1. For more information on funded
projects for 2013 and previous years, visit
http://www.fws.gov/birdhabitat/Grants/NMBCA/<http://www.fws.gov/birdhabitat/Grants/NMBCA/>
week when U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe approved $3.5
million in grants for 27 collaborative conservation projects across the
Americas. These Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act grants will
| Sandpipers |
leverage a 3.5-to-1 return for conservation, matching the Service’s
investment with about $12.5 million in private funds. The projects will
conserve more than 250,000 acres of migratory bird habitat, stimulate
critical research into declining bird populations, and fund outreach
programs to raise local awareness of conservation issues and solutions.
More than 350 species of Neotropical migratory birds migrate to and from
the United States each year, including warblers, plovers, sandpipers,
terns, hawks, flycatchers and sparrows. The populations of many of these
birds are in decline, and several species are currently considered
endangered or threatened as a result of habitat loss, pollution or climate
change.
“Birds provide millions of Americans with enjoyment and a real connection
to nature. They also pollinate our crops and protect them from pests, and
generate $11 billion in local, state and federal tax revenues each year
through the birdwatching industry,” said Ashe. “But while we may think of
them as ‘our’ birds, they actually only spend part of each year in the
U.S., and so to conserve them, we must work internationally with partners
to protect their habitats and reduce threats across the Americas. This is
what makes the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act so unique,
important and effective; it funds collaborative conservation projects
throughout these birds’ breeding and winter ranges.”
Grants and matching funds received through the Act will support
public-private partnerships to conserve Neotropical migratory birds and
their habitats throughout their migratory ranges, from their breeding sites
in Canada and the United States, to their wintering sites in Mexico,
Central America, South America and the Caribbean. This year’s grants will
benefit hundreds of species in 15 countries. Project highlights include:
- *Bay** of Panama:* Located near the mouth of the Panama Canal beside
the narrow isthmus between North and South America, the Bay of Panama is a
critical migration and wintering site for more than 33 species of North
American breeding shorebirds, including more than 30% of the U.S.
population of the Western Sandpiper. The habitats these birds rely upon are
highly threatened by development pressure from Panama City. In
collaboration with 30 local organizations, grantee National Audubon Society
will strengthen communications to local people about the importance of the
Bay of Panama to the economy, to Neotropical shorebirds, and to
environmental and human health.
- *Asunción** Bay: *A total of 32 species of Neotropical migratory birds
have been recorded in Asunción Bay, located along the northern outskirts of
the capital of Paraguay. It is globally significant as a stopover site for
the Buff-breasted Sandpiper. The development of a coastal road has
reconnected the urban population of Asunción with its natural heritage, but
destroyed about 70% of the shorebird habitat in the bay. Local and national
government agencies will work with NGO Guyra Paraguay to restore and manage
60 acres of priority habitats within Asunción Bay. Guyra Paraguay will hire
reserve guards and train local people to be ecotourism guides, and engage
with media to raise awareness for bay conservation.
Seven projects are funded under a pilot program started in 2012, designed
to focus resources on a group of particularly threatened birds. By making a
long-term investment in priority species and monitoring population
improvements, these projects will allow the Service to learn, adapt and be
strategic in how we manage conservation funding. A pilot program highlight
from this round:
- *The Endangered Golden-cheeked Warbler* breeds in central Texas, and
relies on pine-oak forests in Central America for its wintering grounds.
Grantee Fundación Defensores de la Naturaleza is partnering with an
alliance of organizations in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and
Nicaragua to increase the amount of Golden-cheeked Warbler wintering
habitat under legal protection or being managed through sustainable
agroforestry. It will also establish a monitoring system for the species
to develop measurable population objectives for a 5-10 year conservation
plan.
“The Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act conserves Neotropical
migrants for the benefit of people throughout the Americas,” said Jerome
Ford, Fish and Wildlife Service Assistant Director for Migratory Birds. “By
investing in priority species, key habitats, and successful conservation
actions, we achieve the highest impact for each grant dollar invested and
make a real difference for birds.”
The Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act of 2000 established the
matching grants program to fund projects to conserve Neotropical migratory
birds in the United States, Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean. Funds
may be used to protect, research, monitor and manage bird populations and
habitat, as well as to conduct law enforcement and community outreach and
education. The Act requires a partner-to-grant dollar match of 3-to-1, but
has achieved a ratio closer to 4-to-1. For more information on funded
projects for 2013 and previous years, visit
http://www.fws.gov/birdhabitat/Grants/NMBCA/<http://www.fws.gov/birdhabitat/Grants/NMBCA/>
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