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

Abstract

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.

A state assessment of private lands wildlife conservation in the United States

“…The Industrial Revolution, Dust Bowl, and post–World War II boom created desperate needs for environmental action. The public, politicians, and government resource agencies responded and fostered amazing recoveries through the magnificence of nature's resiliency (Brasher et al ). Our predecessors deployed Leopold's vision of “game can be restored by the creative use of the same tools which have heretofore destroyed it: axe, plow, cow, fire, and gun.” (Leopold ).…”

Assessing Conservation and Management Actions with Ecosystem Services Better Communicates Conservation Value to the Public

“…However, public agencies (e.g., U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service [USFWS], U.S. Department of Agriculture [USDA] Natural Resources Conservation Service, and USDA Farm Service Agency) can have a great impact on how these private lands are conserved and managed (Brasher et al 2019) However, simply considering the economic benefits from supporting harvestable or watchable wildlife populations is a relatively narrow view that ignores other benefits that arise from conserving and managing fish and wildlife habitat. In fact, in a broad-scale assessment of the monetary value of services provided by the National Wildlife Refuge System, Ingraham and Foster (2008) suggest that the roles Refuge lands play in supporting wildlife populations were among the least valuable services from Refuges.…”

Structured Decision-Making to Rank North American Wetlands Conservation Act Proposals Within Joint Venture Regions

“…More than 3,100 NAWCA-funded projects have contributed to the conservation of nearly 31.5 million hectares of wildlife habitat across North America (USFWS 2021). Additionally, NAWCA grants are a key source of funding for the implementation of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan through migratory bird Joint Ventures (JVs; Humburg et al 2017;Brasher et al 2019). The North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP) was established in 1986 by the Secretary of the Interior for the United States and the Minister of Environment for Canada to pursue cooperative planning and coordinated management of waterfowl.…”