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The Important Bird Areas Program

The Important Bird Areas Program. Connecting People and Birds. Who We Are. Bird Studies Canada: www.birdscanada.org Advance the understanding, appreciation, and conservation of wild birds and their habitats through studies that engage members, volunteers, &the public

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The Important Bird Areas Program

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  1. The Important Bird Areas Program Connecting People and Birds

  2. Who We Are Bird Studies Canada: www.birdscanada.org • Advance the understanding, appreciation, and conservation of wild birds and their habitats through studies that engage members, volunteers, &the public Nature Canada: www.naturecanada.ca • Protect and conserve wildlife and habitats in Canada by engaging people and advocating on behalf of nature BC Nature:www.bcnature.ca • Federation of BC Naturalists • Motto: To Know Nature and To Keep It Worth Knowing Karen Barry & Pete Davidson (BSC) Krista Englund & Anne Murray (BCN)

  3. Why Birds? • Ecological importance • Spiritual/cultural significance • Millions of birders worldwide • Even wider general public interest (1 in 5 US citizens) • Birding is a major economic driver Herring season in Baynes Sound IBA (A. Martell) “Wildlife watching has become a major economic engine, making it one of the biggest money-makers in Washington State”

  4. Why an International Program? • Birds know no borders • IBAs – a global brand Western Sandpiper (Tom Middleton)

  5. IBAs: A Global Network • Global, nearly 200 countries • Site-based (11,000) • Non-government, non-regulatory • Progress indicator (UN) • Goals: •  Identification  Designation  Protection  Monitoring

  6. IBA Criteria Marbled Murrelet (Alan Burger) • Globally threatened species • Marbled Murrelet (Barkley & Desolation Sound) • Breeding, wintering grounds and/or migratory bird concentrations • Fraser River Estuary, Tofino Mudflats, McIntyre Beach, Douglas Lake Plateau • Birds with restricted breeding ranges (not in Canada) • Biome restricted assemblages (not in Canada) White-tailed Ptarmigan (Scott Wilson) Shorebirds (Moira Lemmon) Sandhill Crane

  7. IBAs: The Canadian Picture • 597 IBAs designated 1997-2001 • Site nomination & review process a collaborative effort between EC-CWS, BSC & Nature Canada (BC Nature) • Coastal habitats & interior wetlands key

  8. IBAs in British Columbia • 269 sites nominated • 84 sites designated • 80% coastal • Over 50% marine/island • 16 sites in BC’s interior Seabird colony (M. Lambert) Boundary Bay (M. Cuthbert)

  9. Species at Risk (SAR) in BCs IBAs • 86% of IBAs support 1+ provincial SAR • 64% of IBAs provide habitat for 1+ SARA species Endangered (7 spp.) Burrowing Owl Sage Thrasher Spotted Owl Western Screech-Owl macfarlanei White-headed Woodpecker Williamson’s Sapsucker Yellow-breasted Chat Threatened (2 spp.) Marbled Murrelet Pink-footed Shearwater Special Concern (8 spp.) Ancient Murrelet Barn Owl Flammulated Owl Great Blue Heron fannini Lewis's Woodpecker Long-billed Curlew Peregrine Falcon pealei Short-eared Owl Sage Thrasher (Dick Cannings)

  10. Conservation & Protection • In Canada ~ 25% of IBAs overlaps protected area (PA) & conservation lands (same in BC) • IBA Program goal is to increase conservation through: • Supporting PA designations • Planning integration • Local regulations • Stewardship & management • Public education & outreach • Partnerships are key! Courtesy of Pacific Coast & Canadian Intermountain Joint Ventures Not included: Municipal Parks; some MBS, NWA, WMA & fee simple lands

  11. Pressures on BC’s IBAs Habitat Loss/Alteration (54%) Pollution (67%) Invasive species (33%) Disturbance (50%) Rat with Auklet (I. Jones)

  12. Current Activities in BC: BSC • Technical Partner: www.ibacanada.ca, online tools, mapping/GIS, bird monitoring & data management (ebird.ca)

  13. Current Activities in BC: BC Nature Leads the stewardship side: Volunteer Caretaker Network Interpretive signage (M. Dunn) Habitat restoration (M. Cuthbert) School education (A. Martell) “Eyes, ears & hands on the ground” Monitoring (T. Carr)

  14. Caretaking: a collective effort • IBAs are large! • Caretakers need support: • Help monitor & steward • Enter data into eBird • Spread the word

  15. ENTER YOUR IBA

  16. Your iba Flammulated Owl (Dick Cannings)

  17. How to Support the IBA Program • Increase your awareness • Enter observations into eBird.ca • Use & disseminate information (signs, websites) • Incorporate IBAs in planning & review (GIS) • Endorse the IBA program/support protection/mgt • Provide data/technical expertise • Support Caretakers or become one! Yellow Warbler (Ian Routley)

  18. IBAs Can Support Your Work • Stewardship & Monitoring • Caretakers & local communities • Capacity/coordination for work • Technical resources & Information • www.ibacanada.ca • Mapping (GIS) and bird data • Information for signage/brochures • Support & Connections • Letters for advocacy & fundraising • Links to National-International partners (eg. BirdLife) Friends of Semiahmoo Bay (Marg Cuthbert)

  19. FEDERATION OF BC NATURALISTS Acknowledgements The BC IBA Program has been supported by generous funding and support from numerous organizations and tireless efforts from many volunteers throughout BC. The template for this slide show was created by Nature Canada. We gratefully acknowledge the use of photographs by Kris Andrews, Alan Burger, Dick Cannings, Terry Carr, Margaret Cuthbert, Peter Davidson, Christopher DiCorrado, Eva Durance, Michael Dunn, Burr Heneman, Sharon Henry, Ian Jones, Marilyn Lambert, Moira Lemon, Art Martell, Tom Middleton, Sandy Proulx, Ian Routley, Scott Wilson and Nature Canada.

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