Sources and dynamics of international funding for waterfowl conservation in the Prairie Pothole Region of North America

Abstract

ContextFunding for habitat-management programs to maintain population viability is critical for conservation of migratory species; however, such financial resources are limited and can vary greatly over time. The Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of North America is an excellent system for examining spatiotemporal patterns of funding for waterfowl conservation, because this transboundary region is crucial for reproduction and migration of many duck species. AimsWe examine large-scale spatiotemporal variation in funding for waterfowl habitat conservation in the PPR during 2007–2016. Specifically, we quantify major sources of funding and how funds were directed towards particular geographies within Canada and the USA. We further examine how sources and magnitude of funding changed over time and in relation to numbers of hunters. MethodsWe assembled data from multiple sources to quantify funding (in US$, 2016 values) from (1) USA states and non-government organisations (NGOs), (2) Canadian government and NGOs, and (3) major USA-based federal funding sources to the Canadian and US portions of the PPR between 2007 and 2016. We fit linear regressions to examine spatiotemporal variation in funding and in numbers of active waterfowl hunters in the USA. Key resultsWhereas annual funding for the Canadian portion was comparatively stable throughout the 10 years (range: US$25–41 million), funding for the US portion was dynamic and increased between the first (range: US$36–48 million) and second (range: US$43–117 million) 5-year intervals, despite concurrent declines in the number of active waterfowl hunters in the USA. ConclusionsWe discovered contrasting trends and dynamics in multiple streams of funding for habitat conservation on each side of the border bisecting the PPR. These findings and approaches warrant closer attention by wildlife professionals. Work is needed to analyse past and future funding for habitat conservation, which can then be used to refine plans for maintaining or recovering populations of migratory species. ImplicationsAlthough funding for waterfowl habitat conservation in the PPR increased over the past decade, trends were inconsistent among subregions and uncertain for some major funding sources. Better understanding of the complexities in funding will help inform more efficient long-term planning efforts for conservation of waterfowl and other migratory species.

Effects of weather variation on waterfowl migration: Lessons from a continental‐scale generalizable avian movement and energetics model

“…Waterfowl enthusiasts (e.g., birders and hunters, Cooper et al, 2015) contribute >$100 million annually to the economies of Canada and the United States (Mattsson et al, 2018(Mattsson et al, , 2020. Should migration distance continue to shorten and sedentary behavior increase, the availability of waterfowl to birders and hunters would likely be affected, potentially leading to decreased funding in support of wetland habitat conservation (Cooper et al, 2015;Grado et al, 2001;López-Hoffman et al, 2017).…”

“…Should migration distance continue to shorten and sedentary behavior increase, the availability of waterfowl to birders and hunters would likely be affected, potentially leading to decreased funding in support of wetland habitat conservation (Cooper et al, 2015; Grado et al, 2001; López‐Hoffman et al, 2017). If hunter behavior were to change in response to differing migratory patterns, the distribution of monetary resources would likely change as well (Bagstad et al, 2018; López‐Hoffman et al, 2017; Mattsson et al, 2020).…”

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

“…When comparing the U.S. and Canadian portions of the PPR, another important difference is the trend in funding for conservation of waterfowl habitat. Based on our concurrent study on annual funding for conservation of waterfowl habitat in the PPR, finances in the Canadian Prairies were quite stable during the study period (range: $26 M-$46 M annually) 57 . By contrast in the U.S. portion, funding was greater and growing (range: $61-$163 M annually).…”

“…Modeling frameworks have been developed for predicting outcomes of habitat management for pintails at landscape to regional scales 49 and regional to continental scales 19 . In addition, methods are emerging for explicitly quantifying the sources and patterns of funding for conservation of wildlife habitat in North America 57 . These developments render a great opportunity for linking modeling frameworks to predict the outcomes of funding scenarios for population dynamics of this migratory species.…”

Multi‐species, multi‐country analysis reveals North Americans are willing to pay for transborder migratory species conservation

“…Ideally, CVM captures a respondent's value for the non-market good, so it is important to develop CVM surveys with a payment vehicle that is as consequential as possible-taxation, for example, is a good way to make the respondent sufficiently weigh their desire for the good against the payment. Our study, for reasons discussed Region of both the United States and Canada (Mattsson et al, 2020).…”