NAWMP - a conservation model IIC Work Plan A focus on objectives

1. NAWMP - a conservation model • IIC Work Plan • A focus on objectives

2. North American Waterfowl Management Plan • Signed in 1986 by Canada & U.S. • $4.5 billion • 15.7 million acres

3. NAWMP - What changed in 1986? • Landscape-scale effort – “Joint Ventures” • Partnerships and leveraging resources • Numerical population objectives • Implied goal of sustaining sport hunting

4. NAWMP Updates: • 1994: Expanding the commitment • Mexico added as signatory • 1998: Expanding the vision • Moving toward landscape conservation, • Broadening partnerships – “All Birds” • 2004: Strengthening the biological foundation • NAWMP Assessment - 2007 • 2012: Integrating harvest, habitat, and hunters

6. NAWMP 2012: Clarifying the problem • Losing wetlands and grasslands faster than restored • Threats are growing – human population growth, water scarcity, climate change, energy … • Losing hunters and their revenue and policy support - society disconnected from outdoors • Losing resources – budgets not keeping pace with challenges

7. Degraded breeding grounds

8. Coastal Marsh Loss

9. Rice and Water

10. Boreal Forest

11. Light Goose populations

12. Trends in U.S. and Canadian Waterfowl Hunters 46% decline

13. http://www.nawmprevision.org

14. What We Heard at Workshops • “Re-vision” the waterfowl management enterprise • Break down silos; work towards common goals • Become more effective and efficient • Integrate objectives • Coordinate actions • Keep pace with environmental and societal changes • More explicit consideration of people • Address the decline in waterfowl hunters • Engage a broader base of supporters

15. Revised NAWMP Goals • Abundant and resilient waterfowl populations to support hunting and other uses without imperiling habitat. • Wetlands and related habitats sufficient to sustain waterfowl populations at desired levels, while providing places to recreate and ecological services that benefit society. • Growing numbers of waterfowl hunters, other conservationists, and citizens who enjoy and actively support waterfowl and wetlands conservation.

16. Revised NAWMP Vision 2004: The purpose of the plan is to sustain abundant waterfowl populations by conserving landscapes, through partnerships that are guided by sound science 2012: “The purpose of the NAWMP is to sustain North America’s waterfowl populations and their habitats at levels that satisfy human desires and perpetuate waterfowl hunting, accomplished through partnerships guided by sound science”

17. Goals Are Linked and Inseparable

18. Recommendations - NAWMP Action Plan • Develop, revise or reaffirm NAWMP objectives • Integrate waterfowl management • Focus resources on important landscapes • Adapt harvest management strategies • Build support for waterfowl conservation • Increase adaptive capacity • Establish a Human Dimensions Working Group

19. Premise: Management of waterfowl populations, conservation of waterfowl habitat, and engagement of waterfowl supporters are inseparably linked. HDWG IIC Flyways HMWG JV / NSST Flyways HMWG JV / NSST

20. Interim Integration Committee : • Focal point for gathering, vetting & synthesizing ideas from the waterfowl management community • Prepare a work plan to advance integration. • Support a process for explicit objectives • Collaborate with work groups to develop scale-specific monitoring, assessment & decision support • Develop a communication strategy • Ultimately, guide review of institutional structures

21. Interim Integration Committee Dale Humburg, Chair Lyle Saigeon (SK) Natalie Sexton (USFWS) Ken Richkus (USFWS) David Goad (AR) Mike Anderson (DUC) Dave Duncan (CWS) Mike Brasher (NSST) Mike Carter (JV) Diane Eggeman (FL) Andrew Raedeke (MO) Jim Gammonley (CO) Dan Yparraguirre (CA) Dean Smith (AFWA) Policy support Technical expertise JV experience Communications insight Logistic support Funding

22. Interim Integration Committee: Advance the integrated management of North American waterfowl populations, harvest, habitat conservation, and associated user and conservation supporters. • Develop work plans: Prioritized actions • Expected outcome(s) • Assumptions • Potential approach/ process (stakeholders) • Resourcing strategy (responsibility) • Budget • Timeline

23. Implementing the 2012 NAWMP Revision: • Engage stakeholders throughout the process • Future of Waterfowl Management Summit II • Revise NAWMP objectives • Waterfowl Populations (10 species from TSA) • Waterfowl hunters, viewers, supporters • Waterfowl Habitat

24. Implementing the 2012 NAWMP Revision: • Develop models & tools in support of implementation • Review mallard harvest management • Eastern mallards • Midcontinent mallards – joint MF/CF • Western mallards • Concurrently explore multi-species management • Develop a modeling framework of social processes • Decision support tools for priority landscapes • Modeling framework integrating objectives

25. Implementing the 2012 NAWMP Revision: • Implement management actions • Adaptively apply HD tools in pilot projects • Compile a review of EGS values • Develop and implement HD training • Compile a synopsis of habitat delivery via HD tools • Demonstrate the economic value of waterfowl conservation • Derive empirical measures of waterfowl hunting • Electronic licensing data

26. Re-vision NAWMP Objectives Waterfowl Hunters/Supporters Waterfowl Populations Waterfowl Habitat

27. Re-vision NAWMP Objectives: • IIC propose measurable attributes and draft objectives • Waterfowl management community provide input into draft objectives • Assign NAWMP Objectives Task Group • Task group recommends candidate objectives • Solicit stakeholder values • Revise NAWMP Objectives • July 2013 • July 2013 • to March 2014 • Oct 2013 • to July 2014 • July 2014 • 2014-15 • NAWMP Update

28. Anchor Point - Populations: • Premise: Recent populations of most waterfowl species are at desired levels (acknowledging the influence of favorable environmental conditions).

29. 1970s 1997-2012 LTA

30. 1997-2012 1970s LTA

31. 1997-2012 LTA 1970s

32. 1970s LTA 1997-2012

33. Straw-man Objectives for Waterfowl Populations NAWMP Goal: Abundant and resilient waterfowl populations to support hunting and other uses Premise: Recent populations of most waterfowl species have been at desired levels. Draft Objective: Duck populations within the range estimated during 1997-2012 (10 species reported from the Traditional Survey Area, see table below)

34. Draft Objective: Duck populations within the range estimated during 1997-2012 (10 species reported from the Traditional Survey Area, see table below) • Key questions: • Should objectives more explicitly address populations with increasing versus declining trends? • What should the anchor point be for the lower threshold (somewhere above biological sustainability)? • To what degree does harvest management serve to achieve population and people objectives?

35. Anchor Point - Supporters: • Premise: Hunter numbers are below desired levels, and public support for conservation is insufficient to sustain current habitat and populations

36. NAWMP Goal: Growing numbers of waterfowl hunters, other conservationists and citizens who enjoy and actively support waterfowl and wetlands conservation. Premise: The current number and demographic of waterfowl hunters may not sustain waterfowling traditions, and overall public support for conservation is insufficient to sustain current habitat and populations. Draft Objective: Active duck and goose hunter numbers (as measured by federal surveys) that are stable or increasing from average levels during 1997-2012 (corresponds to period used to benchmark range of duck population objectives).

37. Straw-man “People” Objectives: • Active duck and goose hunter numbers that are stable or increasing from average levels during 1997-2012. • Stable or increasing numbers of waterfowl viewers, measured by the USFWS National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation. • Increasing ( X %) federal duck stamp revenue. • Increase and maintain funding for NAWCA, Conservation Title of the Farm Bill, LWCF, and other waterfowl conservation funding. • Increased nonmarket valuation of EGS of waterfowl habitats and increased recognition by the general public. • Increased numbers of landowners who are participating in habitat conservation programs.

38. Straw-man “People” Objectives: • Key questions: • What is the scale of waterfowl-related users and people-related objectives that should be implemented? • To what degree will flyways and joint ventures engage in implementing coordinated management actions and monitoring related to people objectives?

39. Anchor Point - Habitat: • Premise: Habitat – while sufficient today – is not secure and is being lost at an unacceptable rate.

40. NAWMP Goal: Wetlands and related habitats sufficient to sustain waterfowl populations at desired levels, while providing places to recreate and ecological services that benefit society. Premise: Habitat – while sufficient today – is not secure and is being lost at an unacceptable rate. Draft Objective: Re-assess habitat objectives and actions that are consistent at national and regional/local scales with revised NAWMP population and people objectives.

41. Develop, revise or reaffirm NAWMP objectives Continental waterfowl populations Continental waterfowl users/supporters Rolled-up Rolled-up Down—scaled Down—scaled Waterfowl Habitat

42. Key questions: • How should habitat conservation partnerships consider deploying human dimensions frameworks for habitat? • How will coupling NAWMP population and human objectives impact the habitat conservation actions? • Which audiences (e.g., waterfowl hunters, viewers, etc.) should be considered priority within different landscapes or across all landscapes? • Will funding sources such as NAWCA assist with targeting of habitat according to new objectives (e.g., hunters, viewers, etc.)? • To what degree are waterfowl habitat strategies also compatible/consistent with strategies for EGS?

43. Focus resources on important landscapes: • Identify the most important areas to deliver waterfowl habitat conservation at multiple spatial scales

44. Desired Outcomes: • Populations: • Waterfowl populations at biologically sustainable levels • Waterfowl populations sufficient to provide for an abundance of use and enjoyment by current and future citizens • People ?? • Habitat ??

45. Challenges to implementation: • Budgets and staff capacity are limited • Linkage of human dimensions strategies to population and habitat is not entirely apparent • Think outside of disciplines of harvest or habitat management.  • Move beyond personal experience / culture • Constantly communicate status and process • Constantly consider the range of stakeholders

46. IIC Work Plan • HMWG, 26-28 November • Initial IIC meeting, 3-4 December • Webinar – 10 January and 7 February • Plan Committee during 15-16 January • ECNAW - NAWMP and HD special sessions 27- 28 January • IIC – 6-8 March in Denver, CO • NAWNR Conference – 25-29 March • Canadian federal and provincial directors – 7-9 May • HD Working Group – 28-31 May • IIC develop work plan – 9-11 July • Flyways – 15-27 July • NSST – 30-31 July • NAWMP Committee – 20-22 August