Implementing the 2012 North American Waterfowl Management Plan revision: Populations, habitat, and people

Humburg, Dale D.; Anderson, M.; Brasher, Michael G.; Carter, Michael F.; Eadie, John M.; Fulton, David C.; Johnson, Fred A.; Runge, Michael C.; Vrtiska, Mark P.

doi:10.1002/jwmg.21391

Cited by 23 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…Every year, millions of dollars are invested in conservation efforts within the PPR 51,97,98 . Improving the effectiveness of waterfowl management depends on a better understanding of how changes in habitat as a result of conservation activity will affect achievement of continental-level goals for species abundance 19,58,99 .…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Linking landscape-scale conservation to regional and continental outcomes for a migratory species

Mattsson

Devries

Dubovsky

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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Land-use intensification on arable land is expanding and posing a threat to biodiversity and ecosystem services worldwide. We develop methods to link funding for avian breeding habitat conservation and management at landscape scales to equilibrium abundance of a migratory species at the continental scale. We apply this novel approach to a harvested bird valued by birders and hunters in north America, the northern pintail duck (Anas acuta), a species well below its population goal. Based on empirical observations from 2007-2016, habitat conservation investments for waterfowl cost $313 M and affected <2% of the pintail's primary breeding area in the Prairie Pothole Region of Canada. Realistic scenarios for harvest and habitat conservation costing an estimated $588 M (2016 USD) led to predicted pintail population sizes <3 M when assuming average parameter values. Accounting for parameter uncertainty, converting 70-100% of these croplands to idle grassland (cost: $35.7B-50B) is required to achieve the continental population goal of 4 M individuals under the current harvest policy. Using our work as a starting point, we propose continued development of modeling approaches that link conservation funding, habitat delivery, and population response to better integrate conservation efforts and harvest management of economically important migratory species. The expansion of intensive agriculture threatens the diversity of species 1-4 and ecosystem services 5 associated with arable landscapes. Growing demands for food, feed, fuel, and fiber have precipitated such land-use intensification in these and other landscapes worldwide 6,7. Substantial evidence shows that people benefit from high levels of biodiversity through many associated ecosystem services including food security, water quality, and recreation 8,9. Birds are valued by the general public and recreationists, including birders and hunters in the case of game species 10-12. Some grassland and farmland birds have undergone especially steep declines tied to intensifying agricultural practices 13. Many of these populations comprise individuals undertaking annual long-distance movements between breeding and wintering grounds often spanning multiple countries 14,15. International funds for conserving critical habitats at the landscape scale in North America are essential for maintaining these populations 16,17 and these resources vary over time 18. This conservation challenge begs the question of how shifts in funding and resultant changes in landscape composition might affect migratory birds. Important advances have been made in modeling impacts of habitat changes on migratory birds at regional and continental scales. Existing approaches have important limitations, however. Some lack landscape-level scenarios for habitat conservation 19-21 , while others focus on hypothetical species 22. Case studies most commonly lack predicted changes in species-specific abundance, predicting instead shifts in community-level metrics 23,24 or indices of habitat suitability 25-27. Spec...

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Linking landscape-scale conservation to regional and continental outcomes for a migratory species

Mattsson

Devries

Dubovsky

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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“…Directly incorporating ecosystem services and the study of human dimensions with traditional waterfowl population and habitat objectives will be necessary to expand waterfowl conservation efforts going forward (NAWMP Committee 2018). Some JVs are already incorporating human dimensions data into habitat conservation models to predict, for example, how management actions such as land acquisition and habitat restoration will change recreational opportunities in a region (Humburg et al , NAWMP 2018).…”

Section: Growth Of Waterfowl Conservation In North Americamentioning

confidence: 99%

The history and importance of private lands for North American waterfowl conservation

Brasher

Giocomo²,

Azure

et al. 2019

Wildl. Soc. Bull.

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Waterfowl conservation in North America provides an example of an abundant wildlife resource that was driven to alarmingly low levels as a result of unregulated exploitation of its populations and habitats, but which has since recovered because of cooperative efforts across multiple countries. Waterfowl conservation in North America began in earnest during the late 19th and early 20th centuries and has developed through international treaties and national policy as well as regional partnerships and supporting efforts of private landowners. In recent years, significant accomplishments have been realized through public-private partnerships that use local knowledge and engagement with stakeholders to develop conservation programs that are compatible with landowner interests and existing farming or ranching operations. Through the presentation of case studies from across North America, we demonstrate there exists no single 'best' program or framework for conserving waterfowl habitat on private lands, although a common denominator for success is robust support from an energized and resourceful partnership. Financial incentives provided a positive encouragement for participation, but private land programs will be most effective long term when they explicitly incorporate the needs of private landowners and generate benefits beyond provision of wildlife habitat. Successful conservation of waterfowl populations into the future will require a suite of programs and strategies and will hinge on our ability to develop conservation solutions that provide mutual benefits to waterfowl and an increasingly diverse private-landowner base.

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“…Recognizing many social and ecological changes since the 1980s, planners considered what issues were most germane to sustaining waterfowl conservation, and a consensus emerged about 3 interrelated goals: waterfowl populations sufficient to sustain human use, habitats sufficient to support those populations and other human needs, and growing engagement and support for conservation from people. Progress toward these multiple goals has been challenging but promising (Humburg et al ).…”

Section: Foundations For Waterfowl Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

The migratory bird treaty and a century of waterfowl conservation

et al. 2017

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In the final decades of the nineteenth century, concern was building about the status of migratory bird populations in North America. In this literature review, we describe how that concern led to a landmark conservation agreement in 1916, between the United States and Great Britain (on behalf of Canada) to conserve migratory birds shared by Canada and the United States. Drawing on published literature and our personal experience, we describe how subsequent enabling acts in both countries gave rise to efforts to better estimate population sizes and distributions, assess harvest rates and demographic impacts, design and fund landscape-level habitat conservation initiatives, and organize necessary political and regulatory processes. Executing these steps required large-scale thinking, unprecedented regional and international cooperation, ingenuity, and a commitment to scientific rigor and adaptive management. We applaud the conservation efforts begun 100 years ago with the Migratory Bird Treaty Convention. The agreement helped build the field of wildlife ecology and conservation in the twentieth century but only partially prepares us for the ecological and social challenges ahead. Ó 2017 The Wildlife Society.

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Implementing the 2012 North American Waterfowl Management Plan revision: Populations, habitat, and people

Cited by 23 publications

References 46 publications

Linking landscape-scale conservation to regional and continental outcomes for a migratory species

Linking landscape-scale conservation to regional and continental outcomes for a migratory species

The history and importance of private lands for North American waterfowl conservation

The migratory bird treaty and a century of waterfowl conservation

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