69 Section I T his section begins with a characterization of important shorebird and waterfowl conservation plans. Ecological theory predicts that in a stable ecosystem those species occupying high trophic levels maintain native species diversity and community structure (Paine 1966). Birds are often considered an “indicator” species for the health of aquatic ecosystems, and are keystone species for wetlands. As with migrating populations of Cetaceans and Pinnipeds, most birds do not restrict their ranges to the region. More than 195 species of birds use coastal and/or offshore aquatic habitats in the Southern California Bight 14 . The wetlands of southern California are important for endangered marshbirds, waterbirds, and shorebirds. In general, we need to be concerned about the decline of birds in the Southern California Bight. The abundance and distribution of birds is an excellent indicator of the general health of the aquatic system (as depicted in the figure below). section 4 Wetland Conservation and Planning in Southern California 14 Hunt et al. (1980) and to some extent Briggs et al. (1987) describe the abundance of sea birds breeding on the California Channel Islands and at-sea, respectively. Baird (1993) summarizes much of the published and unpublished literature on distribution, abundance, migration, breeding biology, and feeding ecology of marsh birds (herons, rails, cranes, and ibises), water birds (ducks, geese, coots, and grebes), shorebirds and seabirds (those birds that live or reside near or on coastal or offshore habitats). Accounts of other seabird species that inhabit the SCB can be found in Garrett and Dunn (1981). Michael Vincent McGinnis and Carla Navaro
Transcript
69
Section I
This section begins with a characterization of important shorebird and waterfowl conservation plans. Ecological theory predicts that in a stable ecosystem those
species occupying high trophic levels maintain native species diversity and community structure (Paine 1966). Birds are often considered an “indicator” species for the health of aquatic ecosystems, and are keystone species for wetlands.
As with migrating populations of Cetaceans and Pinnipeds, most birds do not restrict their ranges to the region. More than 195 species of birds use coastal and/or offshore aquatic habitats in the Southern California Bight14. The wetlands of southern California are important for endangered marshbirds, waterbirds, and shorebirds.
In general, we need to be concerned about the decline of birds in the Southern California Bight. The abundance and distribution of birds is an excellent indicator of the general health of the aquatic system (as depicted in the figure below).
sect
ion
4Wetland Conservation and
Planning in Southern California
14Hunt et al. (1980) and to some extent Briggs et al. (1987) describe the abundance of sea birds breeding on the California Channel Islands and at-sea, respectively. Baird (1993) summarizes much of the published and unpublished literature on distribution, abundance, migration, breeding biology, and feeding ecology of marsh birds (herons, rails, cranes, and ibises), water birds (ducks, geese, coots, and grebes), shorebirds and seabirds (those birds that live or reside near or on coastal or offshore habitats). Accounts of other seabird species that inhabit the SCB can be found in Garrett and Dunn (1981).
Michael Vincent McGinnis and Carla Navaro
Ocean and Coastal Policy Center
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Section 4
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This section includes a general overview of recovery plans that have been adopted by the US Fish and Wildlife to protect and restore the abundance of endangered birds.
The United States Shorebird Conservation Plan (UCSSCP) was developed to create national and international partnerships committed to the conservation of shorebirds. Each organization has developed conservation goals for each region of the country,
identified habitat conservation needs, key research needs, and proposed education and outreach to increase aware-ness of shorebirds.
Habitat areas such as wetlands, shoreline habitats and grasslands used by shorebirds have been altered. Shore-birds are facing threats from habitat loss, human dis-turbance and habitat degradation from pollution, prey resource depletion and increasing threats from predators, causing their numbers to decline.
The UCSSCP sets the conceptual framework for conser-vation planning and guides implementation efforts by providing continuously updated data. It calls for the cre-ation of regional planning efforts to identify conservation
actions unique to the region and encourage the development of integrated manage-ment practices. Furthermore, it stresses that changes in habitat configuration, quality and availability must be controlled.
The vision for shorebird conservation is reflected in the Plan’s conservation goals at different scales:
Hemispheric Goal
Restore and maintain stable and self-sustaining populations of all species of shorebirds in the Western Hemisphere.
Strategy 1 Develop monitoring programs to determine whether shore-bird populations are declining.
Strategy 2 Focus research efforts on determining factors limiting popu-lations of declining shorebird species, and focus international conservation efforts on reducing the effects of these limiting factors.
Strategy 3 Develop coordinated shorebird conservation efforts with Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, South America and Oceania/East Asia.
National Goal
Stabilize populations of all shorebird species known or suspected of being in decline due to limiting factors occurring within the U.S., while ensuring that stable populations are secure.
Strategy 1 Integrate shorebird conservation as part of a regionally based, biologically driven, landscape-oriented, integrated migratory bird management program to deliver shorebird conservation in coordination with other migratory bird initiatives.
Strategy 2 Focus research to identify factors limiting populations of shorebirds in the U.S.
Strategy 3 Identify management actions that can ameliorate factors lim-iting shorebird populations in U.S. and implement regional conservation programs to ensure that populations are not limited by any environmental factors within the U.S.
Common Regional Goals
A. Provide sufficient high quality habitat to ensure that shorebirds in each region are not unduly limited by habitat availability or configuration.
Strategy 1 Identify and monitor key ecosystem and landscape variables that may affect shorebird use of the region (e.g., prey den-sity, availability of roost sites, distance between high quality sites).
Strategy 2 Monitor shorebird use of available habitats to determine contributions of important sites to support local populations of birds.
Strategy 3 Coordinate management efforts for shorebirds among agen-cies and organizations within each region and flyaway.
Strategy 4 Establish a specific habitat budget for the region, including amounts of specific habitat types that should be acquired, managed, or restored for shorebirds.
B. Ensure that efforts to provide habitat for shorebirds are integrated into multiple species habitat management initiatives where appropriate.
Strategy 1 Promote management of wetland habitats as dynamic, natu-ral systems to provide habitat for the entire range of wet-land-dependent species, including shorebirds, at appropriate points in natural wetland cycles.
C. Increase understanding of how local habitat conditions affect shorebird abundance and use of a region and, in turn, how conditions affect hemispheric shorebird populations.
Strategy 1 Encourage management strategies and/or modeling exer-cises that will clarify the most important determinants of shorebird use of particu-lar habitat types.
Regional working groups have also developed regional shore-bird conservation goals and strategies with the ultimate responsibility for ensuring that shorebirds breeding in, winter-ing in, or migrating through the U.S. has adequate quality, quantity and distribution of habitats. Brief summaries of plans developed to address these concerns follow.
Each year millions of ducks, geese and swans migrate across the landscapes of the North American continent to replenish their populations through the annual breeding season. Although the migrations remain a mystery to scientists and conservationists, they recognize the importance of maintaining viable and productive habitats to ensure a successful journey. The waterfowl are dependent upon complex and an increasingly vulnerable chain of habitats across international borders. The birds migrate across
political boundaries, flying through Canada, the United States and Mexico making short stops to feed and rest before continuing on their journey.
Thousands of miles are covered in the migratory route and some species may travel for days without rest. The energetic demands of migration are high; a bird may lose up to one-third of its body weight during the long stretches of travel. When they stop to rest and feed, the availability of quality food resources and suitable resting areas will determine the success of the journey. All types of wetland habitats across the continent have and continue to provide essential refuge, feeding and nesting areas.
The birds found in the United States’ annual migrations are now the most prominent and economically important group of migratory birds. By 1985, approximately 3.2 million people were spending nearly $1 billion annually to hunt waterfowl. Naturalists spent approximately $2 billion observing, photo-graphing and appreciating waterfowl.
By 1985, waterfowl populations had plummeted to alarming lows. The observed decline in species numbers and richness was accompanied by huge wetland losses in the United
States and Canada. Waterfowl habitat was disappearing at a rate of 60 acres per hour through out the States. Historical data shows that nearly 53 percent of the 221 million wetland acres have been destroyed. In Canada, the estimated wetland loss ranged from 29 to 71 percent. For the wintering waterfowl that nest in Canada, the large percentage of habitat loss can and has resulted in lower reproductive success for many species.
Recognizing the importance of waterfowl and wetlands conservation, the U.S. and the Canadian government forged an international alliance to develop a strategy that would restore waterfowl populations through protection, management and restoration of wetland areas. In 1986, the North American Waterfowl Management Plan was created to coordinate site-specific habitat management programs and projects that would prompt population responses on a continental scale. The Plan was updated in 1994 to include Mexico as a signatory and to incorporate revised management strategies based on new data.
The science-based recommendations and integrated management approach of the Plan set it apart from other conservation plans of its time. It recognized that land management and policies affecting extensive areas across the continent would have to be altered. Conservation efforts would have to move beyond the limits of public lands to deal with whole landscapes, including private and common lands.
The updated 1994 Plan links science with conservation through partnerships intended to provide focused management efforts, monitoring and information exchange. It expands the original vision by strengthening the biological foundation, increasing land conservation and broadening the scope of partnerships. The following table summarizes the major goals of the updated Plan.
EXPANDING THE VISION OF THE PLAN: UPDATED GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
STRENGTHENING THE BIOLOGICAL FOUNDATION
• Develop measurable, scale-specific management objectives that provide the basis for planning and evaluation
• Enhance planning and evaluation by expanding monitoring and assessment capabilities.
• Enhance Plan delivery by drawing upon biological information.• Design and carry out evaluations in association with conservation strategies
LANDSCAPE CONSERVATION
• Define and implement waterfowl conservation in a landscape context.• Expand habitat conservation across landscapes with other wildlife initiatives.• Seek landscape solutions that benefit waterfowl conservation goals and other
needs.• Implement community-based projects within a landscape context.
BROADENING THE SCOPE OF PARTNERSHIPS
• Broaden partnerships with other migratory bird conservation initiatives.• Seek partnerships with other economic sectors to meet common goals. • Support and encourage conservation partnerships with communities.
The success of the Plan depends on partnerships, called joint ventures, involving federal, state, provincial, tribal, and local governments, businesses, conservation groups and individual citizens. Joint ventures develop implementation plans focusing on areas of concern identified in the Plan. There are 11 Plan habitat joint ventures in the United States and 3 in Canada.
In California, the Pacific Coast Joint Venture was created in collaboration with Partners in Flight, a non-governmental organization and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife Service.
In California, land development and human presence over the past 150 years has reduced native riparian habitats to a mere 5% of its historic range (an estimated 347,000 acres). Approximately 225 species of birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians depend on riparian habitats. Moreover, riparian ecosystems host the most diverse bird communities in the arid and semi-arid portions of the western United States.
Due to their biological wealth and severe degradation, these distinct areas are considered the most critical habitat for the conservation of Neo-tropical migrants and resident birds in the West. Riparian habitats provide important breeding grounds, over-wintering and migration stopover areas and corridors for dispersal. The loss of riparian habitats may be the most impor-tant cause of population decline among land bird species in western North America.
The RHJV seeks to promote conservation and restoration of riparian habitat sufficient to support the long-term viability and recovery of native bird populations and associated species. The 3 primary goals of the RHJV are to:
• Collect data and analyze existing information to inform land managers, plan-ners and the public about the complex issues affecting California’s riparian habitats.
• Double the extent of riparian habitat in California by funding and promoting conservation projects that increase or protect existing habitat.
• Provide guidance and technical assistance for private landowners, land man-agers, funders, agencies and conservation organizations for assisting in the selection, design and implementation of the highest priority conservation and land management projects.
California harbors more naturally occurring species of plants, insects, vertebrates, and other life forms than any comparable area north of the subtropics. High species diversity of plants and animals renders conservation planning for the entire state more difficult. In order to better meet the demands of a particular region with its distinct habitat areas and associated species, bioregional objectives were developed to address regional concerns and activities. The Plan follows the 10-region scheme for the purposes of setting and achieving conservation goals that will:
• Ensure that a suite of ecological communities representative of California’s diversity will be conserved throughout the state.
• Ensure the broadest range of biodiversity and locally adapted races of species will be conserved.
• Facilitate action at the local level.
The Plan lists 14 objectives that address habitat restoration and protection, research and monitoring, and policy action intended to reverse the decline of riparian associated bird species. The following table summarizes the objectives that provide the framework for specific conservation, research and policy recommendations.
Each of the 10 bioregions is considered under this Plan. Portfolio sites have been identified within each bioregion for their active programs of restoration and protection that considers birds.
(3) Riparian Bird Conservation Plan
The Riparian Bird Conservation Plan was developed to guide conservation, policy and actions on behalf of California’s riparian habitats and associated land birds. Through the cooperative efforts of the Conservation Plan and the Riparian Habitat Joint Venture (RHJV), scientifically based conservation recommendations are developed and continuously updated to guide management strategies and efforts. The Plan, combined with an associated Implementation Plan and the Geographic Information System (GIS) database provides the foundation for adaptive conservation planning in California’s riparian habitats.
The Plan is intended as a working document, to provide flexibility for planning and conservation efforts to adapt to changes in populations, habitats and management activities. Leading avian researchers in California cooperatively devel-oped the Conservation Plan through a process designed to: (1) capture the conservation needs for the complete range of riparian habitat types throughout the state, and (2) develop biological conservation objectives for selected riparian bird species. As new data becomes available, scientists revise their recommendations and managers amend their work plans accordingly. The continuous feedback loop between managers and scientists ensures that improvements will advance the goals of restoring and conserving California’s native habitats and species.
