Joint Venture and BCR Locations Map - FWS graphic

Using Conservation Design To Implement State Action Plans

For Priority Bird Species in Region 3

The Upper Mississippi River and Great Lakes Joint Venture (JV) is a bird conservation partnership made up of state and federal natural resource management agencies, plus non-government conservation organizations.  The JV region encompasses all or portions of ten states and six Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs).  It contains unique and important habitats for birds breeding and staging during migration.  Not surprisingly, bird species identified as high priority by JV partners are also listed as species of greatest conservation need in State Action Plans for states located in Region 3. 

Conservation Design

In an effort to increase efficiency and effectiveness of habitat conservation decisions for migratory birds, JV partners initially ignored political boundaries and focused on ecological units (BCRs) with similar landscape features and bird management issues.  They are also in the process of using an approach called “conservation design,” an essential part of strategic planning for wildlife professionals and others involved in landscape-scale management decisions.  This process results in partners scientifically determining “what, where, when, and how much” effort is required to achieve explicitly stated goals.  Strategic planning is a means to prioritize target areas and formulate bird habitat objectives directly linked to population objectives.  Conservation design products are most commonly in the form of decision-support maps based on population survey data, or a combination of survey data couple with spatial cover-type data and a habitat suitability model. 

Because of the visual aspect and “power” of maps, a primary concern about these decision tools is the potential to be misleading due to the quality of spatial data or model information.  Despite these limitations, JV partners believe conservation design products will improve bird habitat conservation decisions and accountability for those decisions.  Conservation design capabilities and tools are being incorporated into a revised JV Implementation Plan, which will include state-level habitat recommendations for priority bird species identified in State Action Plans.  Planners and wildlife managers overseeing multi-county regions should find these bird-habitat planning products useful decision tools.  In addition, information being presented in the revised 2007 JV plan is expected to have cross-programmatic value, especially with environmental reviews, land acquisition and conservation easements, and land-use policy development.