Here is a note from the Bird Conservation Alliance about two conservation programs facing cuts.
Joint Ventures
Joint Ventures (JVs) exemplify a highly successful, cost-effective approach to conservation. By applying science and bringing diverse constituents together, JVs across the United States have created a model for solving wildlife management problems and restoring habitats critical to conserving declining species. Nationally, JVs have protected, restored, or enhanced more than 13 million acres of important habitat for migratory bird species. There are currently 21 JVs in the United States that provide coordination for conservation planning and implementation of projects that benefit all migratory bird populations and other species.
Joint Ventures also have a long history of success in implementing bird conservation initiatives mandated by Congress and by international treaties. Projects are developed at the local level and implemented through diverse public/private partnerships. These projects reflect local values and needs, while addressing regional and national conservation priorities. The projects benefit not only birds, but many wildlife species, and have a positive impact on the health of watersheds and local economies.
Joint Ventures were funded at $14,000,000 in FY2010. Every dollar invested in JVs leverages more than $44 in non-federal partner funds (1999-2004) for on-the-ground habitat conservation and restoration projects, biological planning, and outreach. The President’s FY 2011 budget requests only $13,000,000 for JVs, a one million dollar cut from last year’s level, however, we believe JVs should be funded at $18,000,000 to allow them to meet their increased responsibilities. This increase in funding would help strengthen the public/private partnerships that leverage increasingly scarce public funds for on-the-ground habitat restoration and acquisition projects; continue to incorporate recent scientific advances in the development of landscape-conservation plans; and build capacity within the newer Joint Ventures, while maintaining expertise within established ones.
Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act (NMBCA)
The Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act (NMBCA) supports partnership programs to conserve birds in the United States, Canada, Latin America, and the Caribbean, where approximately five billion birds of over 500 species, including some of the most endangered birds in North America, spend their winters. Projects include activities that benefit bird populations such as habitat restoration, research and monitoring, law enforcement, and outreach and education.
Between 2002 and 2008, the program supported 260 projects, coordinated by partners in 44 U.S. states/territories and 34 countries. More than $25 million in federally appropriated dollars have leveraged over $116 million in partner contributions. Projects involving land conservation have affected about 3 million acres of bird habitat. However, demand for funding of high-quality conservation projects far outstrips current appropriations, and in 2008, 63 projects requesting nearly $10,000,000 were not funded. From these numbers, it is clear that conservation that would benefit our migrant songbirds is not able to take place due to a lack of funding for this program.
Of the 341 songbird and other neotropical migratory species that breed in the United States, 127 are known to be in decline, 60 of which have suffered population losses of more than 45% in the past 40 years. Deforestation, especially in Latin America where many of these birds winter, is accelerating at an alarming rate, driven by the needs of a human population that has tripled in the last fifty years. Estimates of the percentage of remaining forests that are lost each year in the Neotropics are between 1-2%.
Last year Congress funded the program at $5 million. The President’s budget only requests $4 million which translates into fewer grants approved and fewer conservation projects which would benefit hundreds of migratory birds which are known to be in decline. We request that Congress fund NMBCA at $6.5 million. This small investment will go a long way towards saving birds that generate millions of dollars for our economy and bring so much enjoyment to our lives.
Thanks to Steve Holmer for the information. You can contact Steve as follows:
Steve Holmer
Director of the Bird Conservation Alliance &
Senior Policy Advisor
American Bird Conservancy
202/234-7181 ext. 216
