Download Southern Wings: Taking Flight 2009-2012

Taking Flight
2009-2012
Southern Wings
Created in 2009, the Southern Wings Program provides a
Why Southern Wings?
mechanism to facilitate partnerships between state fish
and wildlife agencies and partners in Mexico, Central,
• According to the 2006
South America and the Caribbean towards the goal of
National Survey, bird
improving conservation for neotropical migratory bird
watching is a $31 billion-aspecies throughout their full annual cycle. Modeled after
year industry.
state involvement in Canada through the North
• Full Life Cycle Conservation
American Waterfowl Management Plan and North
protects domestic
American Wetlands Conservation Act, Southern Wings
investment in migratory
species.
sets the stage for international collaboration by bringing
• Successful conservation
state fish and wildlife agencies together with colleagues
requires actions
beyond our national borders to generate shared benefits
throughout the full annual
for state priority migrant species. In the Program’s first
life cycle.
three years, state agencies have contributed over
$300,000 USD and $557,000 of in-kind contributions
with an additional $226,000 in state-level U.S. partner contributions. All state contributions are
matched at a minimum of 100% by non-state funds before directly supporting on-the-ground projects.
Southern Wings has demonstrated clear successes in protecting and managing crucial wintering habitat
for priority species including Cerulean, Golden-winged and Prothonotary Warbler, Bicknell’s and Wood
Thrush, as well as a suite of grassland birds including Long-Billed Curlew and Mountain Plover.
Full Life-Cycle Conservation
Neotropical birds face unique conservation
challenges that inherently require
The U.S. is home to more than 200
international collaboration to overcome.
species of neotropical migratory birds,
Greatest among these threats is loss of
many of which are state priority species
habitat, which often encompasses several
for conservation.
habitats and span multiple countries and
continents for individual species. Conservation efforts focused solely on the U.S. breeding habitats for
these birds cannot effectively halt the population declines displayed by many neotropical migrants.
As neotropical migrants are often more concentrated on their wintering grounds, threats to these
areas can have a disproportional impact on species’ overall viability. Because funding typically goes
further in the wintering grounds, state wildlife agencies have an opportunity to positively impact these
species in a cost-effective manner by aiding projects in other countries. Habitat conservation and
management throughout the full annual cycle of birds, including many of the states’ priority species,
are a prerequisite for ensuring that in-state conservation investments are protected and effective.
Program Successes
From 2009-2012, 12 state agencies plus the 13 member states of the Northeast Association of Fish and
Wildlife Agencies have participated in the Southern Wings Program, contributing more than $300,000
to conservation projects in six countries. Nearly $800,000 were contributed to match state agency
dollars and additional partner contributions put towards the projects by non-state partners including
host-country governments and NGOs were over 1.1 Million. This ratio far exceeds Southern Wings’
goal of at least 1:1 matches for all state contributions. In addition, six of the eight Southern Wings
projects are paired with Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act grants, which require a 3:1 match
on all funds.
All state funds are used at sites that have been identified as critical habitats for priority neotropical
migrants, with each collaboration designed to have a direct linkage and positive impact on one or more
state priority species. Funds are used for a variety of strategies depending on the needs of particular
species and habitats, ranging from land purchases and habitat restoration projects to education,
training and outreach programs. On-site work is carried out by our partner organizations, which are
selected based on their experience and positive record of working in a specific region. Our partners
include the American Bird Conservancy, Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory, ProAves, Pronatura,
Vermont Center for Ecostudies, Audubon Society chapters, Osa Conservation and many other leaders
in the field of international bird conservation.
State Agencies Participating in Southern Wings 2009-2012
Project Spotlight: Mexico’s Chihuahuan Grasslands
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Grasslands are North America’s fastest declining habitat.
The Chihuahuan grasslands of northern Mexico are used by more than 75% of U.S. Grassland
species including Brewer’s Sparrow, Mountain Plover and Long-billed Curlew.
Southern Wings funding supported the creation of two conservations easements, totaling 66,000
acres, through partnerships with local farming communities (ejidos).
Partners: Oklahoma, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Pronatura Noreste A.C., Universidad
Autónomo de Nuevo León.
Protecting Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula
Conservation Status
Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula is the crown jewel of the
nation’s incredibly biodiverse ecosystems. In addition
to being one of the largest tracts of lowland
rainforest left on the Pacific coast of Central America,
it contains the most extensive wetland and mangrove
system in the region. The Osa Peninsula is home to
more than 450 species of birds, including over 150
species of neotropical migrants. The mangrove
systems along the Pacific coast are critical habitats for
multiple species of conservation priority in the U.S.,
including Prothonotary Warbler and Northern
Waterthrush. The Peninsula also contains other
species of conservation priority, including Wood
Thrush, that are considered winter-limited, making
the protection of this and other portions of the
wintering habitat a high priority.
Partners
Wisconsin Department of Natural
Resources
Iowa Department of Natural Resources
Osa Conservation
American Bird Conservancy
Osa Rainforest. Photo Credit: R. Stanley
The Osa Peninsula’s status as a functional ecosystem
presents a unique opportunity to protect one of the last large tracts of tropical forest in Central
America. The Peninsula contains several protected areas, including the famous Corcovado National
Park, but the critical regions that lie between them and act as corridors for wildlife are under
increasing threats from development, agriculture and natural resource extraction.
Project Description
The ultimate vision for connectivity is a continuous
corridor from Cabo Matapalo, the Peninsula’s
southern tip, through Corcovado National Park,
connecting to Piedras Blancas National Park on the
mainland. This work includes not only land
acquisition, but also the development of
infrastructure to ensure that long-term protection
and monitoring continues in the future.
Contributions
Southern
Wings –
$78,000
Matched
Funds $152,340
Results
High land prices can make large purchases in the
region challenging, but Southern Wings and its host
country partners recognized an opportunity to
provide support to a previously unrealized
conservation opportunity, the Lomas de Sierpe
Reserve, in order to maximize their positive impact.
While the property, part of a corridor between the
two national parks, was previously designated as a
protected area the lack of adequate funding and
resources placed it at risk by unregulated and
illegal usage. Southern Wings funds purchased
equipment and vehicles, hired a manager and
several guards and funded the construction of onsite staff housing, all of which ensures this 1,600
acre property is not compromised by logging or
other illegal resource extraction. Southern Wings
funding has also supported the site’s first bird
surveys, which yielded more than 100 species, 13
of which were neotropical migrants including
Broad-winged Hawks and Chestnut-sided
Warblers. This baseline information is critical for
future conservation planning and management.
Ongoing support from Southern Wings will ensure
the Osa Peninsula continues to provide important
wintering habitat for migratory birds.
Southern Wings and its Costa Rican
partners recognized the opportunity
to channel funding to an existing,
poorly managed protected area, the
1,600 acre Lomas de Sierpe, in order
to maximize their positive impact for
more than 100 species of birds.
Osa Peninsula Rainforest. Photo Credit: R. Stanley
Creating a Cerulean Warbler Conservation Corridor in Colombia
Conservation Status
Cerulean Warblers have lost an estimated 60% of
Northeast Association of Fish and
Partners
Wildlife Agencies
their winter habitat, which consists of montane
forests in the northern Andes Mountains that face
Fundación ProAves
increasing pressures from land-use conversion.
American Bird Conservancy
Several reserves in central Colombia, including the
Pauxi Pauxi and Cerulean Warbler Reserves, provide
habitat for this warbler and a variety of other neotropical migrants, but there is a critical need to
improve connectivity among them and prevent habitat fragmentation from land conversion.
Project Description
Studies have shown that shade-grown coffee and
cacao provide high quality habitat for Cerulean
Contributions
Warblers and many other species. Shade coffee
plantations not only support population densities
that are often above those of intact forest, but
Southern
Matched
Cerulean Warblers that overwinter in shade coffee
Wings –
Funds $12,500
$168,903
plantations have been found to be in good
condition and have high annual survival rates.
This is in striking contrast to conventional
agricultural plantations, which offer poor wildlife
habitat and harbor low species diversity. Based
on this knowledge, Southern Wings has joined a
partnership that employs a unique, public-private
approach to establish a conservation corridor
between existing protected areas by utilizing
direct land purchases as well as a campaign to
increase the amount of shade-grown agriculture
on private lands. For a large-scale conservation
effort like the Cerulean Warbler Conservation
Cerulean Warbler. Photo Credit: Frode Jacobsen
Corridor to be successful, it must have local
involvement and cooperation. As a result, one of the important goals of this project is developing
socio-economic benefits derived from shade-grown coffee and ecotourism as well as active
engagement with local communities and landowners.
Results
Southern Wings funding contributed directly to
Southern Wings funding contributed
the purchase and protection of 652 acres in the
directly to the purchase and protection
corridor immediately adjacent to the Pauxi Pauxi
of 652 acres of Cerulean Warbler
Reserve, 90% of which is intact tropical forest.
habitat adjacent to the Pauxi Pauxi
Partner funding has supported local nurseries
Reserve, 90% of which is intact tropical
and workshops on shade-grown agriculture,
forest.
resulting in more than 84,000 trees planted
across farms and degraded habitats in the
corridor since 2009. Ecotourism opportunities have also been implemented in the area with great
success, as the Cerulean Warbler Conservation Corridor is actively generating revenue to help support
conservation operations in the region.
Project Spotlight: Protecting the Yucatán Peninsula
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Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula is a critical over-wintering and stop-over habitat for neotropical
migrants prior to crossing the Gulf of Mexico.
Southern Wings funding supported the purchase of 1,990 acres of habitat used by Wood
Thrush and Blue-winged, Swainson’s, and Cerulean Warbler.
Partners: Missouri, Tennessee, American Bird Conservancy, Yucatán Peninsula
Environmental Alliance, Amigos de Sian Ka’an, Reserva Ecológica del Edén, Niños y Crías,
Pronatura Península de Yucatán, The Nature Conservancy, Comisión Nacional de Áreas
Naturales Protegidas (CONANP).
Wood Thrush. Photo Credit: Greg Lavatay
Establishing a Reserve in Guatemala’s
Sierra Caral Mountains
Partners
Conservation Status
Missouri Department of Conservation
Arkansas Game and Fish Commission
Iowa Department of Natural Resources
The Sierra Caral Mountains, located in the
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
Izabal region of Guatemala, are a unique
transitional ecosystem that includes a
Fundacion para el EcoDesarollo y La Conservacion
(FUNDAECO)
RAMSAR wetland, tropical rainforests, and
Global Wildlife Conservation
pine-oak forests. The area is used by more
than 150 species of neotropical migratory
American Bird Conservancy
birds for both stop-overs and wintering
World Land Trust –US
habitat including conservation priority species
such as Wood Thrush, Buff-Breasted
Sandpiper and Cerulean, Golden-cheeked and Kentucky Warblers. Sierra Caral was recently identified
as a Proposed Protected Area by the Guatemalan government, but a lack of funding had prevented any
progress towards protecting the area, within which land continued to be cleared.
Project Description
The main goal of this project is to facilitate the
purchase, staffing and management of a protected
area in the Sierra Caral Mountains. Because the
support and cooperation of local communities in Izabal
is critical to ensure long-term conservation of the
reserve, the project also focuses on engaging residents
and features an education campaign to spread
awareness of the region’s ecological importance.
Contributions
Southern
Wings –
$40,500
Matched
Funds $59,500
Results
With the help of Southern Wings funding, a 5,682 acre
property of core migratory bird habitat was purchased and
protected in early 2012. Six park rangers were also hired and
trained to patrol the Sierra Caral Reserve, which held an
opening ceremony in April 2012 that drew 200 members of
the community including local mayors and the Governor of
Izabal
Kentucky Warbler. Photo Credit: Glen Tepke
The Sierra Caral site brought together numerous conservation partners that have expanded the
project scope beyond bird conservation, resulting in a unique collaboration that has provided
over $1 million USD in funding to protect 5,682 acres that housing over 150 species of
neotropical migratory birds as well as multiple endemic amphibian and insect species, several of
which are critically endangered.
Growing Bird Habitat in Nicaragua
Conservation Status
The highland forests of northern Nicaragua are essential habitat for many neotropical birds including
state-priority species such as Wood Thrush, Golden-winged Warbler, and the endangered Goldencheeked Warbler. These forests are expansive but are becoming increasingly fragmented by land-use
conversion. Fortunately, this also is a very rich
Partners Pennsylvania Game Commission
area for coffee-growing which provides a unique
El Jaguar Reserve
conservation opportunity. Although sun-grown
coffee is currently common in the region, there is
American Bird Conservancy
potential to convert farms to shade-grown coffee
North Carolina Audubon Society
and other sustainable agricultural practices that
improve bird habitat and also meet the needs of
landowners in marketing their products and protecting their lands.
Project Description
Southern Wings and its partners have joined with the El Jaguar Reserve, a
privately owned coffee plantation in the Isabelia Mountain Range with a
Contributions
focus on sustainable agriculture, to promote the practice of shade-grown
agriculture in the surrounding region. The long-term goal is to create
a conservation corridor between El Jaguar Private Reserve and the
Matched
Southern
Reserva Natural Volcán de Yalí, approximately six miles to the
Funds Wings –
northwest of El Jaguar. To achieve this goal, the project is
$27,315
$9,900
supporting reforestation by training local farmers and providing
them with native tree seedlings to improve the sustainability of their farms and crops. By doing this,
we can help decrease the rate of conversion of habitat to sun-grown agricultural land, promote
reduced pesticide use, and support crops such as shade coffee that provide valuable bird habitat.
Results
Funding by Southern Wings has allowed El Jaguar Reserve
and its partners to make significant advances in recent
years. Two tree nurseries growing native species have
been established in local communities and have grown
over 12,000 seedlings, in addition to 9,400 grown at the
reserve. El Jaguar Reserve has also conducted two series of
workshops for nearby landowners, discussing migratory
birds, reforestation with native species, and the benefits of
shade-coffee. Southern Wings funding has also supported
bird surveys and banding projects at the reserve as well
Native Tree Nursery. Photo Credit: Doug Gross
as provided bird education programs for local schools and
an international migratory bird festival held in a local community.
Project Spotlight: Bicknell’s Thrush in the Dominican Republic
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Recent research identified the Dominican Republic’s eastern Cordillera Septentrional as a critically
important overwintering area for Bicknell’s Thrush.
Deforestation, including illegal logging in protected areas, is a severe threat to the forests in this
region.
Southern Wings funding was used to hire and train park rangers for the region’s Bahoruco
National Park as well as to purchase equipment to aid their patrols. Matching funds were also
used at the site to construct staff housing.
Partners: Northeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, American Bird Conservancy,
Sociedad Ornitológica de la Hispaniola