Background

1. Advancing a Range-wide Approach to Waterbird Conservation at Priority Sites throughout the Neotropics

2. Background Project initiated in late 2004 with funds from NMBCA. Coordinated by BirdLife International and Guyra Paraguay on behalf of the Waterbird Conservation Council

3. Goal To develop a strategic approach to advance understanding and address specific issues related to waterbird conservation throughout the Neotropics

4. Approach Regional strategies developed from the outputs of a suite of activities at the national and regional level, which include data compilation and synthesis, priority-setting, information dissemination, and communication with key stakeholders.

5. Geographic Scope All countries of Central America, the Caribbean and South America Taxonomic Scope Waterbirds = Seabirds, coastal waterbirds, wading birds and marshbirds. But also waterfowl (ducks, geese and swans) and shorebirds

6. Are these waterbirds?

7. Implementation • Seven person coordination team (Paraguay, Ecuador, El Salvador and Puerto Rico) • Partner organizations hired in all countries in Central and South America to develop national reports • Caribbean national diagnoses developed through Caribbean coordinator • Site maps produced by Sociedad Ornitologíca de Puerto Rico, SalvaNATURA and Guyra Paraguay

8. Lessons Learnt • Despite repeated attempts, it’s very hard to get people to follow guidelines and to keep to deadlines • It’s important to have a bigger stick than a “concerned message” from Ian!

9. Objectives • Determine the status of all waterbird species and their habitats in the Neotropics. • Raise awareness and support for waterbird conservation issues throughout the Americas. • Develop local capacity to monitor and inventory waterbirds in poorly known areas of Central America and the Caribbean. • Develop strategies for five high priority site conservation projects in MesoAmerica and the Caribbean.

10. Status of Waterbird species in the Neotropics • No. species recorded: 427 (with 36 additional vagrants) • Caribbean: 172 • Central America: 214 • South America: 410 • No. species with population estimates: 232 (55%) • No. species with population trends: 119 (28%)

11. 214 Species Recorded in Central America

13. Conservation Status of Waterbird species in the Neotropics • No. globally threatened species: 66 (14.6%) • CR: 8 • EN: 20 • VU: 38 • NT: 31 • (3 EX, 4 DD) • Uneven taxonomic distribution: • 35 threatened species are seabirds (53%) but only 19% of waterbirds are seabirds 21.5% of Waterbirds in Neotropics of Global Conservation Concern

14. Population Estimates

15. Population Estimates

16. Summary of Population Estimates

17. Minimum Populations per country

18. Minimum Densities (birds/km2)

19. Most Abundant Species

20. Regional Watchlists: Criteria • <10,000 individuals (in the region) • Population in decline (over large part of its range) • Extent of Occurrence (EoO) <20,000 km2 (in the region) • Area of Occupancy (AoO) <2,000 km2

21. Central America: Species<10,000 individuals

22. Central America: Declining Species

23. South America: Declining Species

24. Threats

25. Key Sites 1). All sites identified as important for waterbirds/waterbird conservation at a national level. 2). Sites identified as priorities at a national level (by national stakeholders) – generally IBAs 3). Sites identified as regional priorities - primarily based on globally threatened species (representation of all species)

26. All Sites:Over 800 on the map to dateExcel file with site dataSite data incorporated into WBDB and DU Map SiteAlso available as Google Earth file

29. Priority Sites: Central America

30. Crooked Tree, Belize

31. Boven, Sint Eustatius, Netherland Antilles

32. Conventions

33. National and Regional Legislation

34. National Initiatives

35. Raising Awareness

36. More Awareness and meetings

37. Building Capacity • Develop local capacity to monitor and inventory waterbirds in poorly known areas of Central America and the Caribbean. • Provide training internships for up to five individuals per year in Central America and the Caribbean • Provide follow-up support in each of fifteen countries to carry-out waterbird inventories.

38. Site Conservation • Develop strategies for five high priority site conservation projects in MesoAmerica and the Caribbean: • Bahía de Asunción, Yacaré Sur lagoons and Pantanal, Paraguay • Ecuasal and Pacoa lagoons, Ecuador • Cienaga Grande de Santa Marta, Guajira wetlands and Cienaga Bañó, Colombia • Bahía de Panamá, Panama • Tisma, Nicaragua

40. Regional Initiatives • Seabirds in Central America • Migrants at priority sites in the Guianas, incl. Impact of hunting on waterbirds • Monitoring of priority sites in Caribbean and facilitating access to information • Americas-wide strategy for conservation of phalaropes Phalaropus spp.

41. Range-wide Waterbirds in Ecuador

42. Recommendations and Next Steps

43. Species Recommendations • Single Internet portal for access to species information. • Species action plans for globally threatened species (priority to CR and EN). • Feed population and trend data directly into Red List assessments. • Consolidate and expand existing monitoring programs. • Targeted research to fill data gaps concerning waterbird distributions, population sizes and trends. • Determine thresholds for population trends such that assessments of trend significance can guide management actions. • Conduct management-oriented research on waterbirds, as determined by specific management questions • Importance of hunting as a source of mortality to waterbirds • Role of commercial fisheries in seabird mortality • Impacts of invasive species

44. Site Recommendations • Through a single Internet portal provide access to: • Centralized list of key waterbird sites for the Americas; • Portfolio of projects and examples of site conservation success stories. • Identify key networks of sites and develop plans to manage them within a flyway model. • Promote the development of partnerships between sites (North-South, South-South, North-North, etc.). • Develop conservation and management plans for priority sites. • Connect local communities through a network of sites.

45. Habitat Recommendations • Develop a simple landscape-level protocol for monitoring the status of priority waterbird habitats. • Identify, develop and promote incentives that encourage appropriate management of key waterbird habitats, especially those adjacent to priority sites.

46. Advocacy Recommendations • Promote the development and implementation of international and national legislation which promotes and fosters waterbird conservation: • Formal recognition of threatened waterbird species and key waterbird sites within national legislation and/or national conservation agendas (e.g. NBSAPs). • Promote the recognition of key waterbird sites as Ramsar sites. • Promote the inclusion of threatened waterbirds on Appendices I and II of CMS. • Ensure that information on the conservation of waterbirds is widely available to key decision makers in government, management authorities, regional institutions, etc. • Evaluate the feasibility of a regional waterbird agreement for the conservation of migratory species, modelled on the CMS Afro-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement.

47. Capacity-building and Awareness • Build upon and expand existing skill-based training programs for wetland managers. • Improve accessibility of science-based information that enhances wetland and waterbird management. • Use existing festivals such as the World Bird Festival, World Wetlands Day, International Migratory Bird Day and World Migratory Bird Day to raise awareness at many levels. • Develop, adapt and implement models to raise awareness in school-age individuals. • Ensure easy access to conservation materials and education programs (e.g. Shorebird Sister Schools Program, World Wetland Day).

48. Working Together • Draw together all interested parties within an “Americas Waterbird Conservation Alliance” to develop, coordinate and maintain conservation efforts for waterbirds and their habitats in the Americas. • Collaborate and coordinate fund-raising efforts. • Support the fulfilment of national commitments to international agreements (e.g. Ramsar, CMS). • Promote greater participation of local and national NGOs in national and international waterbird conservation agendas.

49. Next steps…

50. Some ideas… • “Data mining” the reports • Refinement of the population estimates and thresholds • Refinement of distribution maps • Internet portal with centralized access to species and site information • “Critical Site Network” tool • Ramsar “Shadow list” publication • “Status of waterbirds and waterbird conservation in the Neotropics” • = “Neotropical Waterbird Coordinator”