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Partners In Flight--Bird Conservation Plans (BCPs) | |
Partners
in Flight
Below are provided the Partners in Flight (PIF) Bird Conservation Plans (BCPs) for each physiographic area and/or state in the United States. This series of scientifically based landbird conservation plans is the foundation for PIF’s long-term strategy for bird conservation. The geographical context of these plans are physiographic areas, modified from original strata devised by the Breeding Bird Survey (Robbins et al. 1986). In the West, the physiographic area plans are written within the context of a larger state plan. Although priorities and biological objectives are identified at the physiographic area level, implementation of PIF objectives will take place at different scales , including individual states, federal agency regions, joint ventures, and Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs).
The goal of PIF landbird conservation planning and the BCPs is to ensure long-term maintenance of healthy populations of native landbirds. These documents were prepared to facilitate that goal by stimulating a proactive approach to landbird conservation. The BCPs primarily address nongame landbirds, which have been vastly under-represented in conservation efforts, and many of which are exhibiting significant declines that may be arrested or reversed if appropriate management actions are taken. The PIF approach differs from many existing federal and state-level listing processes in that it (1) is voluntary and nonregulatory, and (2) focuses proactively on relatively common species in areas where conservation actions can be most effective, rather than the frequent local emphasis on rare and peripheral populations. PIF Bird Conservation Plans therefore provide the framework to develop and implement habitat conservation actions on the ground that may prevent the need for future species listings.
PIF development of BCPs emphasizes effective and efficient management through a four-step process designed to identify and achieve necessary actions for bird conservation:
(1) identify species and habitats most in need of conservation (i.e., prioritization);
(2) describe desired conditions for these habitats based on knowledge of species life history and habitat requirements;
(3) develop biological objectives that can be used as management targets or goals to achieve desired conditions; and
(4) recommend conservation actions that can be implemented by various entities at multiple scales to achieve biological objectives.
Throughout the planning process and during the implementation phase, these BCPs emphasize partnerships and actions over large geographic scales. Information and recommendations in the plans are based on sound science and consensus among interested groups and knowledgeable individuals. Specific methods used to complete this process are described within the plans or in their appendices. Additional details on PIF history, structure, and methodology can be found in Stangel and Finch (1993) and Bonney et al. (1999) [link to website for Cape May proceedings at this address http://birds.cornell.edu/pifcapemay ].
PIF Bird Conservation Plans are among many recent efforts to address conservation of natural resources and ecosystems in the United States. They are intended to supplement and support other planning and conservation processes (e.g., the Nature Conservancy Ecoregion Plans, USFWS Ecosystem Plans, Joint Venture Implementation Plans, Important Bird Area initiatives) by describing a conservation strategy for nongame landbirds that are often not addressed or only incidentally addressed in other plans.
PIF Bird Conservation Plans are among several existing and developing planning efforts for bird conservation. BCPs are intended to complement other initiatives such as the North American Waterfowl Management Plan, U.S. Shorebird Conservation Plan, and North American Colonial Waterbird Plan. Ongoing efforts to integrate with these initiatives during objective setting and implementation will help ensure that healthy populations of native bird species continue to exist, and that all of our native ecosystems have complete and functional avifaunal communities. In particular, the emerging North American Bird Conservation Initiative (NABCI) will provide a geographical and political framework for achieving these ambitious goals across Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
References Cited
Bonney, R., D. N. Pashley, R. Cooper, and L. Niles, eds. 1999. Strategies for bird conservation: the Partners in Flight planning process. Cornell Lab of Ornith. http://birds.cornell.edu/pifcapemay
Finch, D. M. and P. W. Stangel. 1993. Status and management of neotropical migratory birds. USDA Forest Service Gen. Tech. Report RM-229. USDA Forest Service, Fort Collins, CO.
Robbins, C. S., D. Bystrak, and P. H. Geissler. 1986. The breeding bird survey: its first fifteen years, 1965-1979. Resource publication 157. Washington, D.C. Dept. of Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service.
Link to PIF Bird Conservation Plans and Map
Last updated 7/17/2001