Twenty years of conservation co-operation

The sights and sounds of migrating waterfowl are a familiar reminder of the changing seasons for Canadians. Similar to the turning of leaves, the steady chorus of honking heard as a flock of Canada Geese flies overhead in a jagged 'V' formation is a definite reminder of the advent of autumn across Canada.

Birds will move across many jurisdictions during their annual migratory cycle, making international cooperation essential to their long-term conservation. Waterfowl – ducks, geese and swans – are the most economically important group of migratory birds in North America, highly valued as game birds.

Co-operation on the conservation of migratory birds was recognized as early as 1916 with the signing of the Convention for the Protection of Migratory Birds. However, by the 1980s, several waterfowl species had been affected by habitat alterations caused by agriculture, urbanization and industrial activities. In 1986, recognizing the importance of habitat to waterfowl conservation, Canada and the U.S. signed the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP). Mexico joined as a full partner in 1994.

Innovative local and international partnerships, sound science and a landscape approach to waterfowl habitat conservation are the foundation for the accomplishments that NAWMP celebrates in its 20th year. The plan remains one of the most innovative and comprehensive international wildlife conservation programs in North America.

During the past 20 years, $1.2 billion has been raised under NAWMP to secure and enhance 2.3 million hectares of waterfowl habitat in Canada. The plan has been updated three times over the years to account for biological, sociological and economic changes influencing the status of waterfowl and the conduct of co-operative habitat conservation.

A blueprint for landscape conservation

Since its inception, NAWMP recognized loss of habitat as the most serious threat facing North America's waterfowl, and that habitat conservation had to extend beyond protected areas to include vast areas of privately owned and managed lands. The plan called for the establishment of joint ventures – regional partnerships where conservation organizations join forces with federal, provincial and state governments, as well as industry, individuals and private landowners, to implement local conservation programs.

NAWMP sets population goals, identifies habitat conservation needs in specific regions of the continent and recommends measures for resolving problems of international concern. In 1986 the plan identified the Prairie Pothole breeding habitat – an expanse of grassland covering parts of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and some American states – as "the top priority for protection", primarily because of concerns over mallard and northern pintail duck populations. As well, the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence lowlands and the Atlantic coast were recognized as essential breeding, staging and wintering areas for black duck populations. Additional priority areas across the continent have since been identified as critical to waterfowl throughout their annual cycles.