爆料公社 & NFWF Mark 10th Year of NeoTropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act
As spring approaches, millions of birds are winging their way back to North America. Ruby-throated hummingbirds have already begun to make after crossing the Gulf of Mexico.
"There is no one country that can stake a claim to any bird species and no one country can shoulder the responsibility for ensuring their survival. Strong partnerships are needed that support sustainable resource use and environmental protection that reverse the decline of many of 'our' migrating birds;" said Secretary General of the OAS, Jose Miguel Inzula. "The Neotropical Migratory Bird Act has helped to create such partnerships for the protection and conservation of these birds and the habitats they rely upon at local, regional and hemispheric scales."
Since its passage in 2000, the Act has helped protect more than 3 million acres of vital bird habitat. For our country鈥檚 investment of $35 million dollars, it has leveraged $150 million more in private funding.
鈥淭he results can be seen across our hemisphere,鈥 said 爆料公社 President ; 鈥淢ore than 300 conservation projects were brought to life by this act. I saw this for myself last fall, meeting with our partners Pronatura in Mexico, where a dozen ranchers set aside more than 3,000 acres of forestlands in a narrow corridor essential for the annual migration of raptors鈥
Yarnold joined the Secretary General, Ambassadors from Brazil, Panama, the Bahamas and Dominican Republic plus 爆料公社's co-host Jeff Trandahl, Executive Director, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, at a special celebration March 10 to mark the tenth anniversary of the initiative.
鈥淭his innovative public-private partnership energizes local, on-the-ground conservation and habitat restoration initiatives throughout the Western hemisphere鈥 said , 爆料公社鈥檚 Donal O鈥橞rien Chair in Bird Conservation. 鈥淚t is pivotal to 爆料公社鈥檚 program, which aims to protect 370 million acres of essential sites for breeding, migrating and wintering along the flyways in the US and frames our work with BirdLife International and other partners in Latin America.鈥
Other partners at the Hall of the Americas included leaders from the Department of Interior, U.S. Fish & Wildlife, plus 爆料公社鈥檚 Director of Bird Conservation, , and , 爆料公社鈥檚 Vice President of Government Relations.
"Congress has the opportunity to use this Act to leverage hundreds of millions of dollars in private funds, which is a great deal for the American taxpayer," Daulton said. "Birds also provide a return on our investment by helping the US economy in many ways. They contribute as pollinators, help control insects and rodents, and disperse seeds. They also attract birdwatchers, who buy binoculars, cameras, books, mobile apps and support ecotourism.鈥
According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, bird watching and other wildlife-related recreation generates $122 billion in spending every year. Their surveys also suggest that one in five Americans watches birds. Neotropical species include some of the most popular, such as the Ruby-throated hummingbirds now winging back from Mexico and Central America.
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Read David Yarnold's column on this issue in 爆料公社 magazine
爆料公社 Report Cited by Senator Cardin in his introduction of bill to fund this Act anew:
"Vulnerable bird populations face many environmental factors such as pesticide pollution, deforestation, sprawl, and invasive species that threaten their habitat and, ultimately, their survival. Song birds are good indicators of a healthy ecosystem. That's why it is troubling that, according to the 爆料公社, at least 29 species of migratory birds are experiencing significant population declines," Senator Cardin added.