Supporting Conservation Implementation: Integrating Single Species and Ecosystem Conservation

Supporting conservation implementation: integrating single species and ecosystem conservation initiatives

Summary of a Symposium at the 6thInternational Partners in Flight Conference
San José, Costa Rica

31 October 2017

Overview:

Numerous avian conservationefforts are underway throughout North and South America at both the individual species and the ecosystem level. Single species initiatives, such as the Canada Warbler International Conservation Initiative, the International Wood Thrush Conservation Alliance, the Golden-winged Warbler Working Group and the Cerulean Warbler Technical Group,focus on full lifecycle conservation of long distance migratory species. Ecosystem conservation initiatives, such as the Partners in Flight Conservation Business Plans for the Central and South American Highlands and the Gulf-Caribbean Slope of Mexico and Central America,focus on the identification and conservation of priority landscapes that support multiple migratory and resident bird species of conservation concern and the development of conservation strategies that address the primary threats to sustaining healthy bird populations in these landscapes. These efforts share common focal areas, focal habitats and conservation priorities, yet opportunities to integrate conservation actions can be limited. This symposium focused on how the different initiatives can build on individual successes and work together more effectively in the future. Presentations and discussions focused on identifying,implementing, and coordinating on-the-ground conservation actions to enhance benefits across species and ecosystems. Presentations from the individual species initiatives provided a brief history of their group and highlighted current projects and identified pressing needs in the context of integrating actions.The symposium also actively encouraged participation by individuals and groups working towards the conservation ofresident Neotropical birds and their ecosystemsin order to integrate their work into the initiatives listed above. Finally, three roundtable discussions provided the opportunities for participants to discuss conservation strategies for outreach and education, development and protection of protected areas, and supporting best management practices in working landscapes.

Objectives:

Provide a forum for conservation planning that spansspecies,ecosystem initiatives and countries.
Highlight the current projects of each initiativeandfacilitate connections with others working in the same regions or towards similar goals.
Identify key strategies that are likely to benefit all four focal species and develop a path forward that fosters integrated conservation action across initiatives.

Program:

1st Session: Individual initiative sessions.

Introduction by organizing team. Explanation of session objectives.
Individual Species Initiative overviews: non-overlapping sessionsdesigned to allow members of all working groups the opportunity to attend, network with, and learn from the other working groups.
(*The PowerPoint presentations from each of the Initiatives are also available online)

The Canada Warbler International Conservation Initiative
International Wood Thrush Conservation Alliance
The Golden-winged Warbler Working Group
The Cerulean Warbler Technical Group

Wrap up and set the stage for the 2nd session.

2nd session: Introduction of ecosystem-level initiatives and opportunities for project integration.

Introduction and Discussion of ecosystem-level initiatives

Overview of PIF Conservation Business Plans for Central and South American Highlands and Gulf-Caribbean Slope regions
Discussion of the future of these two Plans – their usefulness, ways to improve them, and most important conservation strategies

Round table discussions of conservation projects identified in earlier presentations that address threats to ecosystems and biodiversity, organized loosely by type of conservation action.
Primary goal: describe key strategies from each round table topic to help guide project implementation by partners within the context of larger, regional-scale collaboration on addressing high priority threats.
See attached document (below) that describes thesekey strategies and reflects needs and ideas of partners for implementing specific projects as part of these strategies.
Full notes from each Round Table will also be made available online as separate documents.
Secondary goal: allow participants to share ideas, build networks, and see how they fit into the broader strategies at larger scales.

Round table topics:

Table 1: Increasing public awareness of threats to habitat and biodiversity and education about the value of resident and migratory birds.
Table 2: Supporting best management practices and retention of habitat within working landscapes.
Table 3: Development and support of protected areas and biological corridors: engaging stakeholders at multiple levels.

Individual round tables present projects to the entire group.
5 min presentation of main outcomes (strategies, actions, etc.) and 5-8 min of discussion for each round table.
Discussion to clarify the goals for the identified strategies and identifyimplementation targets and potential barriers to success (outreach, funding, coordination, evaluation) for each project. The discussion will end with clear action items for the working groups and/or associated individualsin order to advance these strategies including identifying and linking key Latin American conservation leaders, NGOs, and/or governments for eachstrategy.
Action Items:
Produce a document summarizing the outcomes of this symposium and strategies identified through the 3 round table discussions; make the document available on the PIF website.
Make existing PIF Bird Conservation Business Plans easily available on the Web (through PIF website).
Gather and combine existing focal areas from the 4 individual species initiatives and make them easily accessible, perhaps as part of the Conservation Business Plans; work toward integrating these focal areas for the priority migrant species with focal areas being identified for priority Watch List species identified through the Central American Species Assessment.
Develop a mechanism for regular communication among interested partners across the Americas (e.g., listserv)
Develop a mechanism for tracking (e.g., story map) where on-the-ground projects are being implements and by whom in order to document successes and progress toward goals and objectives in the plans.

Wrap-up and evaluation.

Key Strategies for Supporting Bird Conservation Implementation as Identified through the Round Table Discussions

Round Table 1:Supporting best management practices and retention of habitat within working landscapes

Facilitator: Nick Bayly
Note-taker: Kirsten Johnson
Participants: Nick Bayly, Kirsten Johnson, Andrew Rothman, Becky Keller, Dave King, Jeff Larking, Rocio Espinosa, Andrés Mauricio López, Pablo Elizondo, John Hannan

Synopsis: This Round Table identified that the crucial pieces to conservation in working landscapes at the regional scale throughout Central America include recognition of landowner needs, supporting or developing economically viable products and associated markets which also promote conservation practice, and connecting producers to technical assistance, local leadership and partners/funding. Unifying the PIF Bird Conservation Business Plans through an approach with broad applicability could take shape at the focal area scale. We should first identify those focal areas where capacity exists (e.g. program/initiatives are already being implemented, market-based solutions are possible, landscapes are amenable), and through community engagement we identify gaps or needs. We then engage local partners who can meet those needs or provide those services and facilitate community-driven/self-sustainable conservation initiatives and implementation.

Round Table 2: Development and support of protected areas and biological corridors: engaging stakeholders at multiple levels

Facilitator: Alexis Cerezo
Note-taker: Fabiola Rodríguez

Participants: Alexis Cerezo, Fabiola Rodríguez, Amelie Roberto Charron, Randy Dettmers, David Younkman, Tom Will, Steve Albert, Ken Rosenberg, Guido Berguido, Matt Jeffery, Mark Willuhn

Synopsis: The strategy that was proposed is to inform the creation of protected areas. To accomplish this, the steering committees of the working groups (IWOTHCA, GWWA, CERW, CAWA) could pool the data available from the single species initiatives as well as supplementary information (resident species, other taxonomic groups of interest). The result is an integrative map of species importance areas, guided by the single species which would serve as umbrella for more species. These maps are evaluated to identify which areas are already protected and which aren’t. Posterior to this, the strategy characterizes the area and may incorporate different actions: it needs to be protected by law, it could be incorporated in a private reserve network scheme, it could be the stage for best management practices in working landscapes. In conclusion, to develop and support protected areas and biological corridors, it is necessary to consider how to best use the information generated to inform and to integrate our work with bigger groups already in need of data to proceed with funds or strategies (i.e. Convention on Biological Diversity).

Round Table 3:Define a key strategy for increasing public awareness of threats to habitat and biodiversity and conducting outreach and education about the value of resident and migratory birds

Facilitator: Isadora Angarita

Note-taker: Ruth Bennett

Participants: Isadora Angarita, Ruth Bennett, Diana Eusse, Caz Taylor, Steve Dryden, Chris Fisher, Bianca Bosarreyes

Synopsis: In this Round Table, we defined a two-part strategy to guide education and outreach activities geared towards empowering people to conserve primary and secondary evergreen broadleaf forest of high value to declining migratory and resident Neotropical birds within Central and northern South America. The defined strategy centers around 1) building a desire and reason to conserve habitat through a targeted message that resonates in the local context and 2) equipping the audience with the tools and resources needed to transform the desire to conserve into conservation action. Our conversation centered around the power of education to build conservation capacity, provide training in marketable skills, and empower people to take action for conservation. We also discussed how to maximize the impact of education, and decided that education must promote a conservation message that speaks to people’s personal experiences and values. Because experience and value will vary widely across the target region, it will be important to carefully define target audiences and spend time learning about what may motivate people to take action within that local context.

(See Round Table notes for more details on all three of these discussions.)

Symposium Synthesis

Opportunities for integrating bird conservation efforts across single species initiatives and ecosystem-level conservation plans for migratory birds shared between eastern North America and Mesoamerica were clearly apparent at the conclusion of this symposium. Forest conservation across Central and northern South America is the highest priority conservation need for all of these efforts and overlaps significantly with needs for many priority resident birds in Mesoamerica. Achieving forest conservation will require an integrated approach combining the appropriate management of new and existing protected areas, retaining suitable habitat within working landscapes,and conducting outreach and education efforts to increase public awareness about the value of birds and the habitats on which they depend. The strategies identified through the three Round Table discussions provide generalized guidance on approaches that can be applied in many places and situations. Additional details specific to a given location and project will need to be developed, but the essential elements described in each strategyshould be broadly applicable. We encourage overlap and integration of these strategies at the project level. Any efforts to implement conservation through working landscapes or protected areas will obviously benefit from outreach and education, but there are also elements of those two strategies for habitat conservation that could be applicable to the other as well as be integrated in a holistic approach at the landscape or regional scale. We recommend that projects proposing to implement these strategies be considered as priorities for funding and for collaborative work among partners across the Americas.

Action Items and Next Steps

Make this document and other materials from this symposium available on the PIF website.
Make existing PIF Bird Conservation Business Plans available on the PIF website.
Gather and combine existing non-breeding focal areas from the 4 individual species initiatives and make them easily accessible, perhaps as part of the Bird Conservation Business Plans.
Explore existing data (e.g., eBird, MoSI), as well as identify where additional data need to be collected, to help identify additional focal areas.
Work toward integrating these focal areas for the priority migrant species with focal areas being identified for priority Watch List species identified through the Central American Species Assessment, as well as broader biodiversity conservation efforts such as the 20x20 Initiative under the Convention for Biological Diversity or other country-specific programs.
Develop a mechanism for regular communication among interested partners across the Americas (e.g., listserv) and get additional input from partners in Central and South America on next iterations of the single species initiative plans and Conservation Business Plans.
Develop a mechanism for tracking where on-the-ground projects are being implemented and by whom (e.g., story map) in order to document successes and progress toward goals and objectives in the plans.
Facilitate and coordinate the development and implementation of conservation projects with willing partners following the strategies identified in this document to address priority needs from the single species initiatives and Bird Conservation Business Plans, especially within attention to focal areas. Consider establishing and funding a coordinator-type position to help facilitate implementation projects.

Symposium Participants, Affiliations, and Email Contact Information

Steve Albert, Institute for Bird Populations (USA),

Isadora Angarita, BirdLife International (Ecuador),

Nick Bayly, SELVA (Colombia),

Ruth Bennett, Cornell University (USA),

Guido Berguido, ADOPTA Panamá (Panama),

Bianca Bosarreyes, Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala,

Alexis Cerezo, FUNDAECO (Guatemala),

Amelie Robert-Charron,University of Manitoba (Canada),

Randy Dettmers, United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USA),

Steve Dryden,Rock Creek National Park, Washington D.C. (USA),

Pablo Elizondo, Costa Rica Bird Observatories (Costa Rica),

Rocio Espinosa, Cenicafe (Colombia),

Diana Eusse, Calidris (Colombia),

Chris Fisher,Northeast Pennsylvania Audubon Society (USA),

Ana María González, Univ. of Saskatchewan (Canada),

John Hannan,Audubon/ABC (USA),

Matt Jeffery, National Audubon (USA),

Kirsten Johnson, Indiana University of Pennsylvania,

Becky Keller, Appalachian Mountains Joint Venture (USA),

Dave King, United States Forest Service (USA),

Jeff Larkin, Indiana Univ. of Pennsylvania/American Bird Conservancy (USA),

Andrés Mauricio López, Cenicafe (Colombia),

Fabiola Rodríguez, Indiana University of Pennsylvania (USA),

Ken Rosenberg, Cornell Lab of Ornithology/American Bird Conservancy (USA),

Andrew Rothman, American Bird Conservancy (USA),

Caz Taylor, Tulane University (USA),

Tom Will, United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USA),

Mark Willuhn, Mesoamerican Ecotourism Alliance (USA),

David Younkman, American Bird Conservancy (USA),