Summary
Canada's national biodiversity strategy calls on government and other stakeholders to attack the causes of biodiversity loss at their source and prevent further endangerment of species. Certainly there is cause for concern for Canadian shorebird species. Fully two-thirds of Canada's shorebird populations show downward trends according to survey data.
No single cause accounts for these declines; clearly the situation warrants concern. Canada has a unique responsibility with respect to shorebirds. For many species, more than half of their breeding range occurs in Canada.
Opportunity exists to cooperate with ongoing conservation initiatives such as the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN), U.S. Shorebird Conservation Plan, Partners in Flight, Wings Over Water, North American Bird Conservation Initiative, North American Waterfowl Management Plan, and others.
The plan's vision is for healthy populations of shorebirds to be distributed across their range and diversity of habitats in Canada and throughout their global range. The plan thus recognizes the need to collaborate internationally as well as regionally and locally.
The Canadian Shorebird Conservation Plan has five goals designed to fulfill the needs for research, monitoring, and evaluation as well as conservation, communication, and international linkages. Those goals are:
Sustain the distribution, diversity, and abundance of shorebird populations within Canada and restore populations of declining, threatened, and endangered species;
Secure and enhance sufficient high-quality habitat to support healthy populations of shorebirds throughout their ranges in Canada;
Ensure that information on shorebird conservation needs and practices is widely available to decision makers, land managers, and the public;
Ensure that coordinated shorebird conservation efforts are in place, on the ground, throughout the range of Canadian shorebird species;
Ensure that shorebird conservation efforts are guided by common principles throughout the Western Hemisphere.
The implementation of strategies aimed at achieving these goals will be overseen by a national working group made up of partners committed to shorebird conservation. A science support team will ensure that actions are based on sound science and will address information gaps.
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