Saving Western Migratory Birds of North America's Conifer and Mixed
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Saving Western Migratory Birds of North America’s Conifer and Mixed Conifer-hardwood Forests and the Sierra Madre Pine-oak and Cloud Forests of Mexico and Northern Central America A Conservation Business Plan to Reverse Bird Populations Declines Birds that breed in North America’s western conifer and mixed conifer-hardwood forests and migrate to over-winter in the Sierra Madre pine-oak and cloud forests of Mexico and northern Central America are imperiled. Their populations have been declining for decades and these declines are worsening (1). The habitats that these birds depend on throughout their entire life- cycle are being lost or degraded due to threats including logging and wood harvest, disruption of natural disturbance regimes (e.g., fire), inadequate restoration, water management and altered hydrology, agriculture, livestock impacts, and other anthropogenic factors. To address these threats an international group of agencies and organizations has developed this conservation business plan. Here we present a strategic framework including projects and specific actions that target western forest birds and the habitats they depend for strategic conservation. This conservation business plan is intended to increase understanding that steepening bird population declines indicate immediate need for large-scaled conservation actions. Such actions will ensure restoration and protection and will result in increased health and resilience of habitats throughout the range of migrant western forest birds. This plan aims to increase interest in and support for specific conservation Many western migratory birds that breed in North America’s opportunities that will benefit the birds and conifer and mixed coniferous-hardwood forests and winter in people that depend on North America’s pine-oak and cloud forests of Mexico and northern Central western conifer and mixed confer-hardwood America; their migration and distribution range defines this conservation business plan’s geographic area of scope (2). forests and the pine-oak and cloud forests of Mexico and northern Central America. This conservation business plan targets western forest bird populations and their habitats. The plan outlines a strategic framework including nine projects designed to reverse population declines of the imperiled western forest birds that tie together North American, Mexican, and northern Central American forests via their miraculous migrations. The projects include conservation actions aimed at the direct and indirect threats that cause habitat loss and degradation, and thus forest bird population declines. The actions will restore and protect target forest habitats, improve forest management, fill information gaps with better science, and offer community education, development, and capacity building. The plan identifies indicators associated with the target species and habitats that will be used to measure conservation success within the context of this plan’s strategic framework an project goals and objective. This conservation business plan represents the collaboration and unified vision of an international group of agencies, organizations, and individuals. Organizations involved in the working group that developed this plan and committed to its implementation include Klamath Bird Observatory, ProNatura Sur, US Fish and Wildlife Service, American Bird Conservancy, Canadian Wildlife Service/Environment Canada, CONABIO, Point Blue Conservation Science, Intermountain Bird Observatory, Utah Department of Natural Resources, Zamorano University, Institute for Bird Populations, Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory, University of Guadalajara, US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Rocky Mountain bird Observatory, Northern Great Planes Joint Venture, Hawkwatch International, Hummingbird Monitoring Network, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, University of Alberta, and others. Working Group Leads: John Alexander ([email protected]), Tanya Luszcs ([email protected]), Rosa Maria Vidal ([email protected]), Claudia Macias Caballero ([email protected]), Brian Smith ([email protected]), and Dan Casey ([email protected]). DRAFT April 7, 2016 Saving Western Forest Birds Conservation Targets: Species and their habitats This conservation business plan identifies target species and Primary Target Species associated target habitats that serve as the basis for setting goals, carrying out conservation actions, and measuring conservation effectiveness. The plans primary target species are migratory birds that breed in temperate conifer and mixed conifer-hardwood forests of western North America and migrate to over-winter in Mexican The plan’s nine primary target species occur in Canada, the United State, and Mexico pine-oak and tropical highland (2). Conservation actions designed to meet population objectives that have been set cloud forests. These primary for these species (3) focus on restoring and protecting the target habitats on which target birds have been identified the species depend. The population objectives serve as key indicators to be used for measuring conservation outcomes. The endangered Golden-cheeked Warbler serves as priority conservation species as a tenth primary target species; while it breeds in forest and shrubland habitats in due to their declining populations Texas, outside of this plan’s geographic area of scope. Golden-cheeked Warblers (3). winter in the tropical highland cloud forests, one of the plan’s target habitats. An additional set of tropical resident target species includes birds of conservation concern that are year round residents in the habitats where the plan’s primary target species migrate to over-winter (2). These resident target birds are also of conservation concern, many of which are identified as threatened on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List (4). A third set of representative target species are migratory, occurring in Canada, the United State, and Mixico. These representative target species are associated with conditions of ecological importance within the plan’s target habitats (2,3). Rufous Hummingbird, a primary Hooded Grosbeak, a tropical Western Tanager, target species. (Photo by Dan resident target species. (Photo representative target species. Casey) by Jim Livaudais) (Photo by Jim Livaudais) 2 A Conservation Business Plan The migratory and resident birds that his conservation Tropical Resident Target Species business plans depend on conifer and mixed conifer- hardwood forests that dominate much of the western portions of North America, from the boreal forest fringe in northern Canada to the Sierra Madre of Mexico and into Guatemala and Honduras. These forests include target habitats that, like the target species, are the basis for the goals, conservation actions, and measures of success that make up the plan’s strategic framework. Tropical resident target species include at-risk birds that spend their entire life cycle The migratory target species in the habitats where the migratory primary target birds over-winter (2). Many of breed in a variety of temperate these tropical residents are classified as at-risk of extinction by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)(4). forests, including target Representative Target Species habitats in western Canada and the United States as wells northern Mexico. These include high elevation fir, mixed-conifer and mixed conifer-hardwood forests, and associated shrublands habitats. During winter, these migratory birds share forested habitats with the tropical resident target birds. These target habitats are concentrated at higher elevations and include tropical cloud forests and pine- oak forests. Twenty additional target species that occur in Canada, the United State, and Mexico Together, the target bird are representative of important ecological conditions within the plan’s target habitats species encompass and are (2,3). The occurrence and response of these species in target habitats where representative of an array of conservation actions are implemented serve as additional indicators to be used for habitat conditions, including a measuring outcomes resulting from the projects outlined in this plan. diversity of successional stages and associated forest structures that were historically maintained through complex ecological processes, such as naturally occurring wildfire. 3 Saving Western Forest Birds Threats to Western Forest Birds and Their Habitats The strategies and project goals and objectives outlined in this plan address six treats that degrade target habitats and impact Direct Threats target bird populations. In addition to reducing the health and condition of this plan’s target forest habitats in North American, Mexico, and northern Central America, these threats impact overall landscape context, watershed integrity, and other environmental values that the human comminutes within the The goals and objectives of the plan’s geographic area are dependent on. projects outlined within this plan’s strategic framework, and the related conservation actions, are deigned to In North America these threats that are related to unsustainable address these six direct threats and land use practices that have caused habitat loss and degraded achieve measurable conservation forest conditions and reduced overall ecosystem health. Extensive outcomes relating to the recovery, forest clearing in late 1800s and early 1900s combined with more restoration, and protection of the recent forest management practices have