The Important Bird Areas Program in the United States

An interesting aspect of participating in a global program is learning about how the program is being implemented in other countries. With nearly 200 countries now participating in the Important Bird Areas program, we have much to learn. Spurred on by John Cecil’s (National Audubon Society) IBA presentation to the IBA Canada Committee in April, we thought it would be timely to provide an overview of the United States’ IBA program.

Two organizations have been involved with identifying and working towards IBA conservation in the U.S., the American Bird Conservancy and the National Audubon Society, which highlights the attractiveness of the IBA concept in America. The American Bird Conservancy (ABC) began its Important Bird Areas Program in 1995 and was the official partner of BirdLife International between 1995 and 1998. ABC conducted a series of state roundtables throughout the U.S., receiving recommendations from hundreds of experts on the avifauna of each state, and asking participants to fill out nomination forms. The focus was on identifying global level IBAs. Approximately 500 IBAs were identified by ABC using this top down approach. As a product of its program, ABC published a book in 2002 on the 500 most Important Bird Areas in the United States. Signs identifying sites as globally Important Bird Areas were distributed by ABC and are posted at more than 350 sites nationwide and ABC continues to conduct IBA education and conservation activities. For more information or to find an IBA designated by ABC, visit www.abcbirds.org.

The National Audubon Society IBA program also began in 1995 with a focus on identifying state-level IBAs. Audubon supported the ABC process by developing nominations for Global-level IBAs. Audubon then became the BirdLife International U.S. IBA partner in 2000, assuming the role for global IBA identification.

From the start Audubon took a different approach than ABC to identifying IBAs: they applied a state level, bottom up approach, working with their local chapters and state programs. Criteria have now been developed for global, continental, and state levels (but no national level like Canada) and Audubon continues to identify IBAs at all levels. Currently, 424 global and 15 continental IBAs have been identified and it is expected that the number of global sites may double and there could be as many as 1500 continental sites once this initial identification process is complete. Audubon is also working to evaluate IBAs identified by ABC using the Audubon-BirdLife criteria. This will help to ensure the two IBA programs are aligned as much as possible.

In addition to identifying global and continental IBAs, Audubon has identified over 2,000 state-level IBAs across 50 states. Audubon is taking a rigorous approach to defining boundaries using spatial analysis of federal land holdings, protected areas, and habitat and land use. Audubon is also identifying IBAs in the Pacific Ocean adjacent to California, Oregon, Washington and Alaska, using at sea survey data, spatial modeling and spatial statistics.

Identifying Important Bird Areas is only the first in a series of steps towards habitat conservation for birds and biodiversity. The power of the Important Bird Areas network is not fully realized until we know what is happening to these special places and how they are changing over time. This allows us to identify, track, and prioritize developing issues, and adapt conservation planning, implementation and management.

As in Canada, the Audubon IBA program relies heavily on local communities and volunteers for tracking how sites are changing and implementing conservation activities at U.S. IBAs. In Canada, our volunteers are part of a Caretaker Network, while in the U.S., volunteers are part of IBA Adoption Groups. The 270 IBA Adoption Groups that have formed in more than 28 US states are comprised of landowners, individuals or existing organizations. Each Adoption Group conducts activities based on the skills, interests and availability of its members, as well as the conservation needs of the IBA in question. The goal of all groups is to assist the landowner in maintaining or increasing the IBAs’ populations of focal species through a combination of monitoring, restoration, enhancement, education, advocacy, resource management, outreach and/or other activities. As in Canada, IBA Adoption Groups are supported by regional or state-based IBA Coordinators and the National IBA Program. Some recent achievements made by state IBA programs are summarized below.

Looking ahead, Audubon will continue to work towards completing the inventory of all the Important Bird Areas in the U.S. and conducting conservation activities at these sites, through the efforts of state programs and national coordination. For more information about the Audubon IBA program or to learn about specific IBAs, visit www.importantbirdareas.org.

State IBA Achievements

• Audubon California, with partners, is working to engage private landowners, specifically rice farmers, on innovative conservation practices to help Tricolored Blackbirds at Important Bird Areas such as the Surprise Valley and Tejon Ranch.
  
  
• In Connecticut, Madison voters choose to protect lands adjacent to the Hammonasset Beach State Park, a Globally Significant Important Bird Area.
  
  
• In Louisiana, the presence of IBAs has been cited by the Army Corps of Engineers as rationale for closing the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet, a ship channel that contributed to flooding New Orleans and destroyed thousands of acres of wetlands.
  
  
• Through Audubon Maryland/DC efforts, IBAs are incorporated into a local planning process, helping to curb sprawl in the county.
  
  
• Efforts of Audubon South Carolina have resulted in the expansion of Beidler Forest IBA through three land acquisitions, protecting more than 2,500 acres.
  
  
• Efforts by Audubon Minnesota have resulted in an agreement by a developer to deed acreage to a city park and the placing of easements on wetlands and private lands adjacent to an IBA.
  
  
• Audubon Missouri partnered with Audubon chapters, the State University, and Missouri Department of Conservation to restore 100-150 acres of habitat within an IBA.
  
  
• In Montana, efforts by Five Valleys Audubon Chapter in coordination with Montana Audubon, helped stop proposed development at Clark Fork River - Grass Valley IBA, a continentally significant IBA for Lewis’ Woodpecker, and led to conservation easements and new partnerships.
  
  
• Efforts in North Carolina have led to IBAs being included in the statewide comprehensive conservation planning tool.
  
  
• In Oregon, volunteers were trained in conducting presence surveys for the threatened Marbled Murrelet in Yachats, to raise awareness and to initiate a citizen science monitoring effort at the Marbled Murrelet Important Bird Area.