10 years of advancing waterbird conservationfor the americas

10 YEARS OF ADVANCING WATERBIRD CONSERVATION FOR THE AMERICAS 1

10 Years of Advancing Waterbird Conservationfor the AmericasTHE WATERBIRD CONSERVATION COUNCIL

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Waterbird Conservation for the Americas is an international, broad-based voluntary partnership dedicated to conserving waterbirds and their habitats. It encompasses the agencies, organizations, and structures that seek to achieve a shared vision that the distribution, diversity, and abundance of populations and habitats of breeding, migratory, and nonbreeding waterbirds are sustained or restored throughout the lands and waters of the Western Hemisphere.

The Waterbird Conservation Council was created as a structure to represent and steer the partnership. Its role is to conduct planning and implementation at the hemispheric scale and facilitate conservation at all levels, from continental to local. Through communications, coordination, and moral support, the Council seeks to empower the partners that transform ideas into actions felt in the field. Council members achieve these tasks through their personal commitment and stature within conservation and resource management institutions, working individually and collectively to give voice to waterbird interests.

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2 THE WATERBIRD CONSERVATION COUNCIL

The Waterbird Conservation Council convenes for the tenth time in 2012. These annual gatherings have allowed us to witness and support a large number of projects by a broad range of partners – both public and private, working at various scales. These projects exemplify the many successful approaches to waterbird conservation in use in the Americas.

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A Decade ofAccomplishments


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A Decade ofAccomplishments


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COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING2003 | Washington, DC, USA

The Council formed in 2003 near Washington, DC, USA to promote the North American Waterbird Conservation Plan, the foundational document that heightened awareness of waterbird needs and launched a battery of ecoregional-scale plans and partnerships. A decade later, the needs of waterbirds have been well-integrated into the institutional agendas of the continent’s tri-national entities, federal and state/provincial wildlife agencies, and the major avian conservation organizations.

“Through the waterbird initiative, the needs of waterbirds, in particular marshbirds and pelagic seabirds, have been given voice. In turn, this voice has been heard by Joint Ventures, federal agencies, States, and all elements of the North American Bird Conservation Initiative committed to all-bird conservation.”

— David Pashley, American Bird Conservancy,

First Coordinator of the North American Bird Conservation Initiative

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HEMISPHERIC SCOPE2004 | Florida Keys, USA

Assembled near the tip of Florida in 2004, the Council launched the collaborative project that would produce waterbird-specific national assessments in all countries of the Caribbean and of Central and South America. This marked the commitment of the Waterbird Conservation Council to address the needs of waterbirds across the Americas and support the network of partners operating there.

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SITE CONSERVATION2005 | Nassau, Bahamas

Although it was a trash-strewn and foul-smelling place when Council visited it in 2005, Harrold and Wilson Pond National Park was recognized as an important place for birds. Local and international investment turned it into an exceptional educational and ecotourism site, valuable to people as well as waterbirds.

“Walking on the boardwalks for the first time was an incredibly emotional experience. I had spent countless hours sharing our vision of what this area could become, but wondered if we would ever be able to make the vision a reality. Bahamian schoolchildren now have the opportunity to visit a wetland in safe and informative atmosphere, and the park has also created a groundswell of support for the creation of similar areas.”

— Lynn Gape, Bahamas National Trust

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MONITORING2006 | Palo Verde, Costa Rica

Council discussed its role in supporting monitoring and other activities that generate improved information on the status and distribution of waterbird populations when it toured Palo Verde National Park, Costa Rica in 2006. Not coincidentally, this site hosted two Council-supported projects: the first Central American workshop on monitoring marshbirds as well as the launch of the Central American Waterbird Census.

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LANDSCAPE CONSERVATION2007 | Antisana, Ecuador

The Silvery Grebe and Black-faced Ibis that use Antisana Ecological Reserve in Ecuador make it a priority site for waterbirds. After observing them there in 2007, the Council endorsed a suite of projects to conserve waterbirds of the high Andean wetlands of Colombia, Peru and Argentina. In late 2011, it applauded the historic achievement of a public-private partnership securing protection of a vast 260,000-acre reserve around the volcano.


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INTEGRATION ACROSS INITIATIVES2008 | Marismas Nacionales, Mexico

The Marismas Nacionales of northwest Mexico attracts hundreds of thousands of shorebirds and other migrating waterbirds, and in 2008 it also brought together the Council and the Western Hemispheric Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN) program, as both partnerships seek to support the local working groups that make conservation a reality. WHSRN is just one of the hemispheric initiatives with which the Council seeks to collaborate.

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“The Dog Island field trip made the work that we had wanted to do on the offshore cay a little bit more real and the Council meeting in Anguilla allowed that to happen. With the participants’ subsequent encouragement and support, Dog Island was highlighted by the US National Fish and Wildlife Foundation as a priority restoration site; grants were secured; and we collaborated with the island’s owner, and partners Fauna & Flora International and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, to complete the eradication.”

— Farah Mukhida, Anguilla National Trust and Rhon Connor, Anguilla

Department of the Environment

FOCUS ON SEABIRDS 2009 | Anguilla, West Indies

Alien invasive species pose one of the greatest threats to seabird populations worldwide, but fortunately this is no longer the case on Dog Island, Anguilla. A rat eradication and a commitment to perpetual stewardship were achieved there three years after the Council toured it in 2009 and launched a concerted push for invasive species eradication for the benefit of Caribbean seabirds.


OUTREACH TO DECISION-MAKERS2010 | Panama Bay, Panama

Engagement with government officials is critical to conserving waterbirds and their habitats. The Council routinely uses annual meetings to join and support local partners in outreach events, such as the one hosted in 2010 by Panama Audubon Society and Panama’s national wetlands committee. At that time, Panama Bay’s protected status was being celebrated, but potential threats from urban development were on everyone’s minds. Unfortunately, two years later, numerous projects adjacent to and in some cases within the protected area are threatening to devastate important wetland areas close to the city.

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“I truly appreciated the support received from the Waterbird Conservation Council for the socioeconomic valuation of the Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta, conducted by the students of the University of Maryland. This project provided valuable technical information helpful for accomplishing our conservation and management goals. We hope to continue our relationship with the Council in the future, developing new projects of common interest, for the benefit of our biodiversity and particularly for the birds we share.

— Luis Alejandro Bastidas Chief, Santuario de Flora y Fauna

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EMPOWERING LOCAL MANAGERS2011 | Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta, Colombia

In 2011, the Council heard from local managers about the conservation challenges at the Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta, Colombia. Subsequent Council engagement in establishing a baseline assessment of the sites’ waterbirds, training in field techniques to continue monitoring, and assessing the sites’ economic values, exemplify the ways it can support local managers.



What is Ahead? The Council develops annual workplans driven by its vision and relevant to its four long-term goals.

Species and Population GoalTo ensure sustainable distributions, diversity and abundance of waterbird species throughout each of their historical or naturally expanding ranges in the lands and waters of the Americas.

ExampleStrategy: The goal of the Caribbean Waterbird Census (CWC) is to promote the conservation of resident and migratory waterbirds by building capacity of local partners to participate in monitoring, and protect and manage their wetlands. Since its launch in 2010, the CWC has grown rapidly and in 2012, participants at 205 sites sent in 360 reports, including 116 species. With the support of multiple sponsors, individuals and organizations across the region, the program is expected to continue to grow, generating new and vital information on waterbird populations.


“The Caribbean Waterbird Census program is a fundamental program for advancing waterbird knowledge, concern and action across the Caribbean. We are excited to be working with the Council to connect it to other large-scale wetland censuses in order to achieve common objectives for a coordinated Americas-wide approach.”

— Lisa Sorenson & Ann Sutton, Coordinators, CWC, Society for the Conservation and Study of Caribbean Birds


Habitat GoalTo protect, restore, and manage sufficient high quality habitat and key sites for waterbirds throughout the year to meet species and population goals.

ExampleStrategy:Continued development of waterbird-based population objectives for use by North American Bird Habitat Joint Ventures (JVs). From its inception, these regional entities have played a critical role in the Waterbird Conservation for the Americas partnership, both in planning and implementation. Though much has been achieved, JVs and other partners of the waterbird partnership need to continue collaborations to refine explicit population objectives at eco-regional scales that will further range-wide conservation.


Education and Information Goal To ensure that information on the conserva tion of waterbirds is widely available to decision makers, the public, and all those whose actions affect waterbird populations.

Examplestrategy: Advocacy is defined as “the act of pleading or arguing in favor of something, such as a cause, idea, or policy” or “active support.” The Council is by its very nature an advocacy group, in that it actively supports waterbird conservation. Public policy actions have taken different forms, such as a letter to appropriate decision-makers advocating a position, visible support at advocacy events, and supporting activities for adoption by individual Council members. Drawing from these activities, an ongoing strategy is to identify effective tools and compile successful experiences of reaching and influencing decision-makers.

National policy decisions should be grounded in the values of the people of that nation. However, when decisions affect natural resources which are internationally shared, such as migratory waterbirds, external voices are appropriate, and important, to ensure that these resources are appropriately considered. Visible evidence of international concern does empower local advocates in their engagement with government officials.

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Coordination and Integration Goal To ensure that coordinated conservation efforts for waterbirds in the Americas continue, are guided by common principles, and result in integrat ed and mutually supportive waterbird conservation actions.

Examplestrategy: The mission of the World Seabird Union is to place seabird research, management, and conservation into a worldwide perspective. Recognizing that seabirds as a bird group are one of the most threatened and in greatest decline, Waterbird Conservation for the Americas is a member organization of this global association. The Council’s role will be to raise awareness and increase support for seabird conservation, in particular in those areas which are not already served by a geographically-focused seabird society.


“What a joy and honor it was for me to participate with so many bright minds and willing hearts for so worthy a cause. I think of my time with the Council often and reflect on the tremendous power that comes from people working together.”

— Don S. Paul, Lifetime Conservationist and Council Member 2003-2008


American Bird ConservancyAsociación CalidrisAssociation des Mateurs Amicaux des Z’Oiseaux et de la

Nature aux Antilles Association of Joint Venture Management BoardsAtlantic Coast Joint VentureBahamas National TrustBird Studies CanadaBirdLife International Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación

Superior de EnsenadaComisión Nacional para el Conocimiento y Uso

de la Biodiversidad Conservation InternationalDucks UnlimitedEnvironment CanadaFundação Darcy Ribeiro/University of Brasilia

Fundación NaturaGuyra ParaguayHunton and Williams LLPIntermountain West Joint Venture International Association of Fish and Wildlife AgenciesInternational Crane FoundationIsland ConservationLa Sociedad para el Estudio y Conservación de las

Aves en México

Manomet Center for Conservation SciencesMuseo Nacional de Costa RicaNational Audubon SocietyNational Wildlife Refuge AssociationNature CanadaNorth American Loon FundOffice National de la Chasse et de la Faune Sauvage Pronatura NoroestePronatura SurProvince of OntarioPuerto Rico Ornithological SocietySmithsonian National Museum of Natural HistorySociedad Audubon de PanamáSociety for the Conservation and Study of Caribbean BirdsThe Waterbird SocietyUnited Nations Environment Program/Convention on

Migratory Species SecretariatUniversity of HavanaUniversity of MinnesotaUS Agency for International DevelopmentUS Fish and Wildlife ServiceUSDA Forest Service International ProgramsWetlands International Waterbird Habitat CouncilWildlife Management Institute

Working together for 10 years, Waterbird Conservation Council members have collectively advanced the state of waterbird conservation through Council activities as well as promoting waterbird conservation within their organizations. These organizations — just a small part of the wider Waterbird Conservation for the Americas partnership — have included:

“A great thanks is owed to all members of Council, both past and present, for their contributions. Especially appreciated is the extra effort put forth by those individuals who served as Chairs: Jim Kushlan, Kathy Parsons, Eric Mellink, Paul Kluckner and Rosa Montañez .”

— Rob Clay, Current Waterbird Conservation Council Chair


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n for the Americas WATERBIRD CONSERVATION COUNCIL CONTACTS www.waterbirdconservation.orgCoordinator: Jennifer [email protected]

10 years of advancing waterbird conservationfor the americas

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