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Bird Conservation
> Important
Bird Areas >
Global
and Continental Important Bird Areas
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Emperor
Goose, Courtesy Donna Dewhurst/USFWS
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To
date, of the 2,100 state level Important Bird Areas
identified, 332 have been prioritized as Global
Important Bird Areas. These sites encompass over 220
million acres across 30 states and include Important
Bird Areas significant for over 60 globally threatened
species.
Global
and Continental Important Bird Areas are determined
through a prioritization process, which involves the
review of identified State-level Important Bird Areas
by the U.S. IBA Technical Committee, using Global
and Continental IBA Criteria.
These Important Bird Areas are some of the highest priority
sites for conservation actions.
Keep
reading to find out more about the process and significance
of identifying and prioritizing Important Bird Areas
below.
To
see list and information on Global and Continental Important
Bird Areas prioritized to date, go to the IBA
Search
tool (use IBA Criteria for Search Category and select
all A and B level Criteria).
Important
Bird Area Identification and Prioritization
Identifying and prioritizing Important Bird Areas
is a central component to the conservation planning
and implementation process. Important Bird Areas identification
and prioritization help to define the targets and actions
that need to be taken at a site. Initial bird monitoring,
threat assessment and habitat evaluation data are the
fundamental inputs that help conservation practitioners
evaluate the current condition of the site.
Identification
Sites are first identified as Important Bird Areas through
a process at the state-level. This involves data compilation
by state-based Important Bird Areas Coordinators. Information
about a site is then reviewed by a state committee of
ornithological and conservation experts, to determine
whether sites meet established Important Bird Areas
selection criteria. These criteria are relevant and
specific to state bird populations and conservation
priorities. Once these sites are reviewed by the state
committees, they officially gain the status of identified
Important Bird Areas.
Prioritization
Identified IBAs are then prioritized for conservation
action by evaluating the data associated with each site
against criteria that are relevant at a continental
and global scale. This process is undertaken by a by
a panel of ornithological and conservation experts that
have an understanding of birds at a national, continental,
and global scale. These criteria, relevant to continental
and global bird populations and bird conservation priorities,
are essential to understanding how Important Bird Areas
compare to each other and they provide a broader context
for focusing limited conservation resources. Through
the prioritization process, identified Important Bird
Areas are ranked as Global, Continental, or State-level
IBAs.
Prioritization:
A Tool to Focus Limited Resources for Conservation Actions
Important
Bird Areas are identified at the state-level, and in
turn serve as targets to focus actions to protect particular
bird populations. However, with limited capacity, it
may not be realistic to undertake conservation action
at all identified Important Bird Areas. For example
in Pennsylvania over 85 Important Bird Areas have been
identified through the state-level identification process.
This network of Important Bird Areas is a powerful tool
for drawing attention to state-wide bird conservation
priorities. This IBA network can be adopted or integrated
into other state-wide or local organizations' conservation
work.
Some
conservation strategies, such as policy on a state-wide
scale, can be applied to multiple Important Bird Areas
simultaneously. For other strategies, such as habitat
improvement, the process of IBA Prioritization using
Global and Continental criteria is an essential step
in determining where to focus actions. Prioritizing
according to large-scale biological criteria, using
species population size and distribution as a basis,
is vital in protecting species we are responsible for
at a national and global level. This biological prioritization
can be further enhanced by incorporating other factors,
such as threats and opportunities into the process of
deciding where to work. Besides informing our decisions
as to where we work, prioritization of a site can serve
as additional leverage for funding opportunities, as
it adds value to these sites, deeming them as crucial
places to protect not only for states or regions, but
globally. Overall, IBA prioritization is a valuable
tool which can help us more effectively plan and implement
our actions to achieve conservation outcomes.
Updated February 2009
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