Council Resolution 99-03
Distribution: General
C/99-00/RES/03/Rev.8
ORIGINAL: SPANISH
Banff, 28 June 1999
North American Bird Conservation Initiative
THE COUNCIL:
MINDFUL of the need to address conservation of all bird species in North America through a holistic and cooperative trinational strategy that is respectful of the laws, programs and economic and social needs of each country;
RECOGNIZING that at least 20 percent of the world’s bird species inhabit North America and that many of these birds are endemic, while some are of limited distribution and thus highly vulnerable;
ACKNOWLEDGING that some bird populations are in decline and that part of the diversity of birds present in North America is either endangered, threatened or vulnerable;
TAKING INTO ACCOUNT that birds perform integral functions in ecosystem dynamics, not only as critical links in the food chain, but also through pest control, pollination and seed dispersal;
MINDFUL that birds are a natural economic resource that contribute to the prevention of major losses in agricultural and forestry production, and in the creation of new opportunities for socio-economic development;
WISHING TO complement existing arrangements and treaties among the Parties designed to protect certain groups of birds, such as the North American Waterfowl Management Plan and the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network Program, as well as the work of various public and private organizations;
BUILDING on the “Cooperation for the Conservation of Birds of North America” (Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) project 98.02.01), as well as further developing the efforts of the CEC to facilitate the establishment of a North American Network of Important Bird Areas;
ACKNOWLEDGING the efforts of increased cooperation, facilitated by the CEC, that have resulted in the creation of the interim Trinational Steering Committee for the North American Bird Conservation Initiative (NABCI) and the interim NABCI National Steering Committees in Canada, Mexico and the United States, as well as many other multinational, multisectoral groups;
RECOGNIZING that NABCI is an initiative that: (1) seeks to achieve regionally-based, biologically-driven, habitat-oriented partnerships representing the full spectrum of bird conservation measures across the entirety of the North American continent; (2) supports simultaneous, on-the-ground delivery of conservation measures for all birds; and (3) facilitates the conservation of all native North American birds by enhancing coordination of programs and initiatives-both existing and new-to increase their effectiveness, and fostering greater cooperation among the nations and peoples of the continent; and
TAKING NOTE of the strategy and action plan developed by the working group in collaboration with the Secretariat of the CEC in accordance with Council Resolution 96-02, which called for the development of such a strategy and action plan based on a set of goals, objectives and approaches for the conservation of the birds of North America;
HEREBY:
APPROVES the NABCI strategy and action plan, which sets forth preliminary goals, objectives and actions for the conservation of all birds of North America;
ACKNOWLEDGES that upon their establishment, each National Steering Committee shall develop and implement specific national action plans that are unique to each country, but which are also implemented in coordination with the other committees to achieve the broad outcomes of the NABCI;
REITERATES its commitment to the conservation of the birds of North America by maintaining continued CEC support, for a three-year period, of NABCI; and
ENCOURAGES the Parties to consider as pilot sites for the development of cooperative efforts, for Important Bird Areas for the conservation of birds in North America.
APPROVED BY THE COUNCIL:
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Carol M. Browner
Government of the United States of America
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Julia Carabias Lillo
Government of the United Mexican States
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Christine Stewart
Government of Canada
North American Bird Conservation Initiative