Bird Conservation > Important Bird Areas >

Download recent achievements of the Important Bird Areas Program!

Hummingbird monitoring training workshop at the Patagonia Lake-Sonoita Creek Natural Area IBA, Arizona. Courtesy Tice Supplee.

Conservation activities at Important Bird Areas are happening across the United States and range from land acquisition to habitat restoration, advocacy on the behalf of Important Bird Areas and the education of local communities about their unique birds and bird habitats. Here are success highlights from recent years.

See previous successes

RECENT ACHIEVEMENTS

• Increased the number of recognized Globally Significant Important Bird Areas to more than 550.

• Developed GIS boundaries for the 400 plus Global IBAs and have begun delineating extent of protection.
  

• Piloted in three states an IBA Assessment and conservation planning framework designed to engage volunteers in conservation at Important Bird Areas.

• Completed seven TogetherGreen Volunteer Day projects in Arizona, Illinois, North Carolina, and Virginia involving more than 160 volunteers. Volunteers engaged in habitat cleanup and restoration, bird monitoring, inventory of sites, mapping, outreach activities and various training exercises.

• Enhanced the IBA web site to provide more information and tools for the public and conservationists about Important Bird Areas.

• Contributed to the seminal publication, Important Bird Areas Americas with a chapter on the U.S. IBA network.

• Responded to the BP Oil spill by prioritizing 20 focal bird species for more intense conservation and advocacy and made available information on the network of Important Bird Areas in the Gulf in a special section of the IBA website.

LOCAL EXAMPLES

Here are some examples of how States are using the IBA Program to advance local conservation efforts, often by linking IBA goals to other initiatives.

• Audubon California, with partners, is working to engage private landowners, specifically rice farmers, on innovative conservation practices to help Tricolored Blackbirds at Important Bird Areas such as the Surprise Valley and Tejon Ranch.

• In Connecticut, Madison voters choose to protect lands adjacent to the Hammonasset Beach State Park, a Globally Significant Important Bird Area.

• In Louisiana, the presence of IBAs has been cited by the Army Corps of Engineers as rationale for closing the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet, a ship channel that contributed to flooding New Orleans and destroyed thousands of acres of wetlands.

• Through Audubon Maryland/DC efforts, IBAs are incorporated into a local planning process, helping to curb sprawl in the county.

• In Maryland, an agreement between two environmental trusts and the county is approved, preserving more than 600 acres along Bacon Ridge Branch at the South River Greenway IBA.

• Efforts by Audubon Minnesota have resulted in an agreement by a developer to deed acreage to a city park and the placing of easements on wetlands and private lands adjacent to an IBA.

• Lewis' Woodpecker. a key species at the Continentally Significant Clark Fork-Grass Valley IBA in Montana. Photo by Dave Menke/USFWS.

  Audubon Missouri partnered with Audubon chapters, the State University, and Missouri Department of Conservation to restore 100-150 acres of habitat within an IBA.

• In Montana, efforts by Five Valleys Audubon Chapter in coordination with Montana Audubon, helped stop proposed development at Clark Fork River- Grass Valley IBA, a Continentally significant IBA for Lewis’ Woodpecker, and led to conservation easements and new partnerships.

• Audubon New York, partnering with New York City Audubon and New York City Parks and Recreation undertake habitat restoration at North Brother Island IBA, removing invasive trees and shrubs and planting natives.
  

• Photo by Gus Van Vliet/USFWS. Marbled Murrelet

  Efforts in North Carolina have led to IBAs being included in the statewide comprehensive conservation planning tool.

• In Oregon, volunteers were trained in conducting presence surveys for the threatened Marbled Murrelet in Yachats, to raise awareness and to initiate a citizen science monitoring effort at the Marbled Murrelet Important Bird Area.
  

• Efforts of Audubon South Carolina have resulted in the expansion of Beidler Forest IBA through three land acquisitions, protecting more than 2,500 acres.

• Through a series of Volunteer Day events at specific IBAs in Arizona, Illinois, North Carolina, and Virginia, volunteers were engaged in removal of invasive plants, cleanup, bird monitoring, education and outreach activities.

Volunteer Day at Trumbo Hollow, part of Upper Blue Ridge Mountains Important Bird Area in Virginia. Photo courtesy James Akerson.

Keep up with Important Bird Areas! Follow IBAs on Subscribe to the IBA LEADER LIST to learn more about current IBA successes and announcements and to participate in the latest discussions regarding Important Bird Areas. To join the IBA LEADER LIST, send an e-mail to listserv@list.audubon.org. Leave the subject line blank, and in the body of your message type: SUBSCRIBE IBA-LEADER FirstName LastName. Alternatively, click here to subscribe to the list. Already subscribed? Search the IBA Leader List archives

Updated April 2013