IBA program identifies bird conservation sites

Protecting migratory birds means protecting their habitats

To protect migratory birds, the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) is helping to create a network of bird conservation areas at the resting, feeding, nesting and breeding zones along principal migration routes in North America.

The conservation areas, known as Important Bird Areas (IBA), will be vital to maintaining bird populations in North America.

During the August 1-2 session of the CEC's Council, the environment ministers from nacec.Mexico, the United States and Canada announced three initial areas as the starting points for a North American network of IBAs: Long Point, Ontario (Canada); Valle San Pedro, Arizona (United States); and Carricito del Huichol, Jalisco (Mexico). The CEC has been working closely with organizations from nacec.the three countries since the beginning of 1996 to define the criteria and set up the process necessary to establish the first IBAs.

Long Point, a peninsula on Lake Erie, is a mosaic of ecosystems that includes coastal dunes, swamps, grasslands, savannas, wetlands and beaches. The variety of habitats has caused the area to become one of the most important sites on the continent for birds. Approximately 360 species live and feed there, 120 species breed in the area and the number of visits by birds reaches 2.4 million in spring and 7 million in the fall. As well, an important research station is located on Long Point.

Carricito del Huichol is one of the few sites in Mexico where mature temperate forests remain relatively untouched. The conifers, which reach 15 meters, are largely inaccessible due to steep canyons and hillsides. Agriculture and livestock ranching have not been introduced in the area and logging is limited. Although research in Carricito has been limited, at least 80 resident bird species have been identified in the Sierra Madre, an important habitat for migratory species. Biologists believe that Carricito del Huichol is the last remaining habitat of the endangered royal woodpecker.

In the San Pedro Valley, a river that flows year-round has become a major stopping point along central North American migratory routes. It is the last stopping place for many species before entering Mexico and the first they visit on the return north. More than 100 species reside in San Pedro, which is also the temporary home to approximately 250 migratory species each year. San Pedro Valley was declared a national protected area in 1988.

Now that these sites have been identified, the next step is to develop conservation strategies so that appropriate actions can be taken. Specific bird protection programs will then be developed to complement national regulations, international treaties and local efforts.

Participants in the IBA program include the National Audubon Society, the American Bird Conservancy, the International Council for Bird Protection-Section Mexico, Mexico's National Council for Biodiversity, the National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico's Instituto de Ecología, A.C., the Canadian Nature Federation and the Long Point Bird Observatory in Canada. Irene Pisanty coordinates the CEC Secretariat's participation in the IBA program.

Western mountain parrots (cotorra serrana occidental) winter in Mexico's Carricito del Huichol and migrate within the mountainous region of northwest Mexico. (Photo: Cipamex)