IBA Caretakers: People Protecting Birds Across Canada - Saskatchewan

Last week, we heard from two Important Bird Area Caretakers in Alberta, where young naturalists and city dwellers are getting involved in bird conservation.

This week we follow Ted, Nature Canada’s manager of bird conservation, as he heads to Saskatchewan to speak with Lori Wilson, IBA Caretaker for Reed Lake IBA.

Like many Caretakers, Lori has been an avid birder from a young age. She’s also part of a group of local naturalists who regularly monitor birds in the area. Hear Lori talk about her reasons for joining the IBA Caretaker Network and about an innovative project that links communities in Canada, the United States and Mexico through a shared interest in protecting migratory shorebirds.

Lori, already an active birder in her community, brings her interest in bird monitoring and her network of local birders and naturalists, into the IBA program by becoming a Caretaker. They are part of a larger network of volunteers that participate in the IBA Caretakers program. Their work promotes effective bird conservation in Canada.

Do you want to protect your local birds and habitat? Consider becoming an Important Bird Area Caretaker!

You can find out more about becoming a Caretaker and explore Important Bird Areas in Canada at ibacanada.ca.

Stay tuned for our next post where you will hear from a Caretaker in Quebec who owns a very special island in the St. Lawrence.

Unlikely Partnership Paves the Way for Grasslands Conservation

Fernando Adauto is a cattle producer in Lavras and a key figure in leading collaborations between cattle producers and conservation groups

Grasslands are arguably the most threatened ecosystem globally. In North America less than 20 percent of native grasslands remain intact. The Southern Cone of South America has seen the conversion to agriculture, plantations or urbanization of around 50% of its grasslands and conversion continues at an alarming rate. Grasslands biodiversity, including birds, and the gaucho culture are at risk.

Cattle born and raised on natural grasslands

But an unlikely partnership between local producers and conservationists is trying to turn this around.

I had the opportunity this past week to participate in the fifth gathering of the Alliance for the Grasslands, known as the Encuentro de Ganaderos de Pastizales Naturales (Gathering of Natural Pasture Cattle Producers) in the town of Lavras do Sul, in southern Brazil.

These unique Encuentros have been bringing together Aves Argentinas, SAVE Brasil, Guyra Paraguay and Aves Uruguay - the BirdLife Partners from the region - with a growing number of landowners, experts, government officials and other groups and individuals interested in the conservation of natural grasslands, biodiversity and the traditional gaucho way of life.

Among the many ambitious and exciting projects of the Alliance is a certification system for beef produced on native grasslands, for which they've agreed on the overall guidelines and are working out the implementation details. The Alliance is also working with rice producers and on recognizing the ecosystem services provided by natural grasslands and providing economic incentives to conserve them.

As it celebrates five years of these Encuentros, the Alliance asked Nature Canada to carry out an evaluation of its progress. I had the opportunity to do this analysis and participate in the V Encuentro to share the preliminary findings and conduct a workshop to gather feedback from participants. I hope that this evaluation will be helpful to the Alliance in identifying gaps, opportunities and in planning its priority actions for the coming years.

I led a workshop with producers to gather feedback on the preliminary evaluation findings where participants identified the need to bring technical expertise to producers so can they improve the productivity of ranches based on natural pastures. The group has proposed creating an international training program to build on and share existing knowledge and know how.

Facilitating a workshop with ranchers from the Pampas of South America

At the same time, the exercise has been a fabulous opportunity to learn about this groundbreaking initiative supported by the BirdLife partnership and for bringing lessons back to North America.

Nature Canada, along with our BirdLife partners National Audubon in the US, and Pronatura in Mexico are looking forward to taking part in a project of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation that seeks to strengthen links in support of healthy ecosystems and communities in the grasslands of North America.

Many of these efforts will benefit the same birds because many of "our" declining grassland birds (including Bobolink and Swainson's hawk, to name but two) migrate to the grasslands of the Southern Cone of South America.

An opportunity still exists to save the grasslands of the Americas, but we urgently need to step up the effort. Despite the many challenges, the Alliance of the Grasslands of the Southern Cone of South America gives me hope that we can do this both in North and South America!

On the Road with IBA Caretakers

Ted Cheskey, our manager of bird conservation, is out on Canada’s west coast meeting volunteer Caretakers who are part of the Important Bird Areas Program. On a visit to the Sidney Channel IBA in North Sidney B.C., Ted had a chance to speak with James Finley, IBA Caretaker, about marine IBAs, being a Caretaker, and his love for the beautiful Bufflehead:



Sidney Channel is a 4 km wide body of water that lies along the extreme southeast shore of Vancouver Island between James Island (and the larger Saanich Peninsula) and Sidney Island.

The Sidney Channel IBA is a terrific place to birdwatch. In one short boat excursion, Ted saw Marbled Murrelet, Rhinoceros Auklet, Herrmann's Gull, Bald Eagle, Brant Cormorant, Pelagic Cormorant, Common Loon, Pacific Loon, and Harlequin Duck, as well as Harbour Seals and Harbour Porpoises. Of particular significance at this site are the large concentrations of Brandts Cormorants during fall migration (just over 1% of the worlds estimated population), and Mew Gulls and Brant during spring migration.

As a Caretaker, James is the eyes, ears and feet on the ground at his IBA. Like other Caretakers, James has been matched to his specific IBA to monitor birds, assess habitats, and conduct conservation activities. He works with local communities, scientists, governments and nature groups to promote Important Bird Areas and to ensure that local conservation ideas are put into action. Hands-on volunteer work from people like James helps build healthier bird communities and more sustainable environments for future generations.

BC Nature, with financial assistance from Nature Canada's Communities in Action Fund, launched the first Caretaker Network in Canada. In 2009, TransCanada Corporation committed $1 million over five years as a national sponsor of the Canadian IBA Caretakers Network, so that today, volunteer Caretakers are in all ten provinces.

BirdLife International began the IBA program in Europe in the 1980s in order to identify, conserve and monitor a network of sites that provides essential habitat for bird populations. Since that time, BirdLife partners in more than 178 countries and territories have joined together to build the global IBA network. Nature Canada and Bird Studies Canada co-deliver BirdLife's IBA Program in this country.

Bufflehead, photo by Vladmir Morozov

This weekend, James and many of his neighbours in Sidney will be celebrating the return of that community’s adoptive bird, the Bufflehead. According to James, who has been observing these birds at Sidney Channel Important Bird Area (IBA) for many years, Buffleheads arrive there and at Shoal Harbour Migratory Bird Sanctuary on Vancouver Island on the 298th solar day of the year, every year. This timing equates to the 15th day of October (except in Leap Years), and October 15 has come to be known as All Buffleheads Day in recognition of the annual migratory event.

So this weekend, take a moment to consider the Bufflehead and the special place it holds in Canada's natural history. If you happen to be in Sidney, British Columbia, join the celebrations for All Bufflehead Day and the 80th anniversary of the Shoal Migratory Bird Sanctuary at Lillian Hoffar Park.

Engaged Youth A Promise for Sustainability: Happy 15th Birthday to Jaragua Summer Camp!

Nature Canada, with the support of the Canadian International Development Agency and working with BirdLife, proudly supports our partner in Hispaniola, Gupo Jaragua, in their work to improve peoples livelihoods and conserve biodiversity and natural resources.

One of the key components of this efforts is the Jaragua Summer Camp, which has been engaging youth on a path to sustainability for 15 years this summer. Join us celebrating Grupo Jaragua's success!

Bedford Biofuels Continue to Threaten Tana Delta

On 7 September we told you about the threats to Kenya’s Tana River Delta Important Bird Area from plans by the Canadian company Bedford Biofuels to establish a jatropha (biofuel) plantation. Since our post Bedford has been in touch to express their disagreement with our criticism of their project (see the comment posted). However, our concerns continue. Nature Canada has written to the Canadian government to bring our concerns to their attention and find out whether the government is supporting this project. We will let you know their response.

In the meantime, here is a summary of the latest information provided by our BirdLife partners at Nature Kenya:

At the start of this week Bedford Biofuels and Nature Kenya met in Nairobi. Bedford was accompanied by their lawyer and more than 20 people from the Delta supporting the Bedford proposal. However unfortunately despite a long (around 5 hour) and at times rather tense meeting Bedford was not prepared to recognize the concerns of Nature Kenya and others from the Delta or willing to respect the land use planning process under way.

In summary, Nature Kenya and others are worried that jatropha is untested, that Kenya has yet to adopt a biofuels policy and that 10,000 ha is too big to be a pilot. Also that the proposed project is within the very sensitive Delta floodplain and that there needs to be a land use plan for the Delta in place to provide a strategic framework before individual large-scale developments proceed. For all these reasons Nature Kenya is maintaining their challenge to the Bedford consent and hoping that the Kenyan Government will act on NEMA (the National Environment Management Authority) advice to cancel the Bedford consent.

It is very encouraging to see the land-use planning process for the Delta now firmly underway. Between 14-17 September around 65 participants took part in a high-level meeting in Malindi to discuss the need for a strategic plan for the Delta. The Kenyan Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) hosted the meeting with NEMA and Nature Kenya jointly providing the Secretariat. It was attended by representatives from key Kenyan government ministries and agencies including NEMA, the Ministries of Finance, Lands, Agriculture, Environment and Mineral Resources, Water and Irrigation, Fisheries, Kenya Forest Services, Kenya Wildlife Service, TARDA (Tana and Athi River Development Authority), together with NGOs, media and international experts in the fields of land use and delta planning and environmental assessment. The meeting included a workshop plus a field visit into the Delta to provide the opportunity for participants to see the Delta and speak to the local people to understand the issues first hand.

The meeting closed by adopting a Communiqué of the Inter-Ministerial Consultative Meeting on the sustainable development of Deltas in Kenya. This confirmed the launch of the Tana Delta planning initiative, including agreement on a road map leading to the long-term sustainable development of the remarkable Tana River Delta in ways that will provide for economic prosperity, stable social conditions and lasting environmental quality.

Specifically the meeting agreed:

• To the establishment of a local Tana Delta planning process which will be steered by a local committee (the Planning Implementation Committee) and will involve a combination of strategic planning and strategic environmental assessment (SEA)


• The output will be a long-term strategic land use plan representing a ‘truly sustainable’ future to the Delta.


• That this process will combine scientific, economic, social and environmental evaluation tools alongside extensive public participation and will be a collaborative exercise involving all relevant government ministries and agencies, counties, districts and communities, Civil Society and NGOs, International Partners and investors


• The process will take place over the next 18 months, with the support of DFID (UKAid).

Things are now moving quickly with the Inter-Ministerial meeting scheduled to meet again on Tuesday 27 September to discuss the terms of reference for the SEA. This is exciting news.

Bedford Biofuels Threatens Kenya's Tana Delta

Aleksey Dorofeev via Flickr

Nature Canada is concerned that a Canadian company – Bedford Biofuels – plans plans to set up a jatropha tree plantation in Kenya's Tana Delta, an area that provides refuge for 350 bird species. When we learned of the Calgary-based company's plans last year, we contacted the company to discuss the potential impacts on biodiversity of the proposed project. The company did not respond to our letter, but recent developments make us hopeful that Bedford Biofuels will abandon this project. The latest news from our BirdLife colleagues in Kenya is as follows:

A Nairobi newspaper reports that, after consideration of the scientific evidence, Kenya’s National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) has decided to advise the Kenyan Government to halt the planting of the biofuel crop jatropha within the Coast region of Kenya. Proposed jatropha plantations would do irreparable damage to coastal Important Bird Areas (IBAs), including the Tana Delta and Dakatcha Woodlands.

The reported decision has been applauded by BirdLife Partner NatureKenya, which has been fighting a vigorous campaign against the destruction of woodland and other coastal habitats to make room for biofuel crops. NatureKenya also provided much of the evidence on which NEMA’s decision was based, especially recent research which has cast doubt on the supposed benefits of jatropha as a “green” alternative to fossil fuels. Scientific studies now recommend growing jatropha only as a hedge or living fence.

Even before NEMA’s decision, a company planning to grow oil seed crops on 28,000 hectares of the Tana Delta pulled out after consultations with NatureKenya and other BirdLife Partners, citing concerns over environmental impacts and long-term climate change effects.

In July, two directors of NEMA were suspended after accusations that they had acted irregularly in granting a licence to the Canadian company Bedford Biofuels to grow jatropha on a 10,000 hectare “pilot” site in the Tana Delta. According to the Nairobi press, NEMA’s Chairman, Mr Francis Ole Kaparo, said that the licence had been awarded in spite of mounting scientific evidence which has exposed the claims made for jatropha as false. “There is nothing to prove jatropha is viable. In fact, all evidence shows it has failed,” Mr Kaparo is quoted as saying.

NEMA has advised the Kenyan government to cancel Bedford’s licence, but the company is challenging the cancellation. Bedford’s local representatives have organised demonstrations in favour of the jatropha plantations, which have been described as an attempt to “intimidate” the authorities.

“We congratulate the NEMA Chairman, Mr Francis Ole Kaparo, the NEMA Director General Dr Ayub Macharia, and NEMA technical staff for their wise decision”, said NatureKenya CEO Paul Matiku. “NEMA is on the right path to sustainable development, by using science to avoid irreversible environmental, social and economic costs. We hope the Ministry will follow this advice and cancel Bedford Biofuel’s licence for a ‘pilot’ of 10,000 hectares of jatropha at Tana, and that this wise decision has been made clear to Kenya Jatropha Energy Limited at Dakatcha.”

He added: “Globally, biofuel crops, originally viewed as substitutes for climate-damaging fossil fuels, have replaced food crops and natural habitats, leading to rising food prices and loss of critical wildlife habitats and ecosystem services.”

The Tana Delta has long provided local communities with food and livelihoods. Its value to the nation includes ecosystem services such as water storage, shoreline protection and marine life spawning grounds. It also has huge tourism potential. But as demand for land to grow commodity crops has increased globally, the Tana Delta has become the focus of interest for international speculators and investors.

“Over the last decade, conflicts have been increasing in the Tana Delta as the demands for competing land uses, natural resources, nature conservation and community interests have intensified,” said Paul Matiku. “It is for this reason that NatureKenya and stakeholders, led by the Office of the Prime Minister, are initiating a combination of strategic planning and integrated assessment to develop a long term General Management Plan.”

Bedford Biofuels commented on September 13, 2011:

Recently, articlessuch as this, riddled with misleading errors and false accusations have beencirculating regarding Bedford Biofuels’ 10,000 ha Jatropha biofuel project inthe Tana Delta Region of Eastern Kenya. These articles were published withoutinput from Bedford. Bedford also did not recieve correspondence from NatureCanada before this post was published.

Contrary to what is being reported by Nature Kenya, Bedford’s license to planthas not been revoked. The EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) license wasissued to Bedford on May 25, 2011 by NEMA (National Environment ManagementAuthority)Kenya and remains in effect. Nursery preparations began in July andthe Jatropha seedlings will be transplanted starting in November.

Nature Kenya has also erroneously reported that Bedford intends to plantJatropha in the delta area of the Tana Delta Region, which is causing concernbecause of the delta’s biodiversity and ecological importance. First andforemost, in order to obtain its license from NEMA, Bedford had to complete anEnvironmental Impact Assessment of the Tana Delta Region which includedthorough research pertaining to the wildlife, existing flora and soilconditions. Approval of the EIA License was granted under the condition thatBedford agrees to abstain from planting in the delta.

Second, Jatropha will not grow in flood plains or areas of standing water suchas a delta, it thrives in semi-arid to arid conditions. In order to maximizeour yields, Bedford has engaged the world’s leading experts in Jatropha and hasa team of agronomists experienced in growing Jatropha to advise the optimalgrowing conditions and location for Bedford’s Jatropha project.
Lastly, Bedford is an advocate of conserving the environment and is currentlyworking alongside the Lower Tana Delta Conservation Trust to ensure that thedelta area is preserved and the local community’s standard of living isimproved.

Nature Kenya has also been vocalizing it’s skepticism about the benefits ofJatropha as a “green” alternative to fossil fuels and recommends that Jatrophashould only be grown as a hedge or living fence. This makes sense if you are atrying to prevent a Jatropha project from coming to fruition, but I am certainthe many scientists, multinational organizations and governments around theworld who have invested tens of millions of dollars into the research ofJatropha as a sustainable and viable biofuel feedstock would strongly disagree.NASA, for instance, has flown Jatropha to space to test the impact of zerogravity on its growth; the international airline, Lufthansa, is using Jatrophabased jet fuel on daily commercial flights; China has earmarked 13 millionhectares to grow Jatropha to help reduce their dependence on foreign oil;Jatropha has properties that can be used in the production of pain killers andother medications; and above all, it produces a clean oil that is superior tofossil fuel – an oil that is not derived from a food crop, but from a non-foodbiofuel. This is the evolution of biofuel.

Part of Bedford’s mandate is to educate people about our intentions to employlocals and to bring food security and improved quality of life to the region.We are doing it all by the book and we certainly don’t want to be implicated inallegations of irresponsible management and unfair practices.

Making Flyway Conservation a Reality

To be effective, bird conservation for migratory species should address issues throughout a species' flyway that impact the species survival. In Canada, this should be an imperative to conserving our birds, as about 90% migrate south each year, only to return the following spring.

One initiative to put this flyway concept to the conservation test links the Great Salt Lake in Utah, the most important inland stopover for many species of shorebird, waterbird and waterfowl in continental North America, and an area of global significance for many breeding bird species, with Chaplin Lake in Saskatchewan, and the Marismas nacionales along the Pacific coast of Mexico. These areas share many of the same species, including American Avocet, Wilson's Phalarope, American White Pelican and Franklin's Gull among other species.

The Canadian anchor in this north-south chain, is centred on Chaplin Lake Important Bird Area, but includes a series of alkaline lakes in southern Saskatchewan, including Old Wives, Reed, and Quill Lakes. All sites are recognized as Important Bird Areas and Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN) sites.

Last week, I attended meetings in Salt Lake City Utah, on behalf of Nature Canada and the Canadian partners in the Linking Communities Initiative at Chaplin Lake and Nature Saskatchewan. National Audubon and ProNatura, the BirdLife International Partners from the USA and Mexico respectively, as well as staff from BirdLife and from Rio Tinto - Kennecot, the mining company that supports some elements of this project, were also there.

Our focus was looking ahead to where this partnership might go. One of the most inspiring moments happened during a conversation with Wayne Martinson, Important Bird Area Coordinator for National Audubon for the State of Utah. He mentioned how the whole idea of linking communities came to be and who is the visionary behind it. I was so inspired by his story that I asked him to repeat it on video. Here it is:

Alarming Deforestation in the Paraguayan Chaco

Our BirdLife partner in Paraguay, Guyra Paraguay, has been raising the alarm about the rapid deforestation of the Chaco for years. This area is critically important for indigenous peoples, wildlife and ecosystem services, like water.

The rate of deforestation is estimated at about 36,000 football fields per month. Watch this video to learn more: 

Leaders Celebrate a Decade of Conservation Efforts as U.S. Bird Protection Law Turns Ten



Ruby-throated hummingbird

 As millions of birds wing their way back to North America this spring, leaders in the conservation movement are gathering tonight in Washington D.C. to celebrate the passage of a key American wildlife law ten years ago.

For 10 years, the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act has catalyzed bird conservation in the Americas with the investment of $125 million through an innovative public-private partnership that triples every dollar taxpayers invest by matching government grants three-to-one with private dollars.

In the process, the legislation has energized local, on-the-ground conservation and habitat restoration initiatives throughout the Western hemisphere, including Canada.

The passage of this act has had a hugely positive impact on bird conservation efforts throughout the hemisphere. From breeding grounds in Canada, to wintering sites in the south, and all points in between, projects supported by this law are helping us understand what is happening to bird populations and take coordinated action to preserve entire species.

Our executive director, Ian Davidson is joining ambassadors from several western hemispheric nations and leaders in bird conservation at the D.C celebration event, held at the Hall of the Americas. The event is hosted by the National Audubon Society and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

From disappearing marshlands along the Gulf Coast, to pesticides and pollution along major flyways, migrating birds like Red Knots, Swainson’s Hawks and Ruby-throated Hummingbirds face an arduous journey in search of healthy habitat. More than one third of all Neotropical species are in decline. Since its passage in 2000, the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act has helped protect more than 3 million acres of vital bird habitat.

In Canada, funding from the act helped community stewardship of local bird habitat at Important Bird Areas (IBAs), with the launch of the Canadian Important Bird Areas Caretaker Network. Initiated by BC Nature, and now operating in seven provinces, Caretakers are matched to specific IBAs to monitor birds, assess habitats, and conduct conservation activities.

Since 2007, funding from the act has also helped Nature Canada to work with its BirdLife International partner in Haiti, Haitian Audubon Society, to conserve rare forest habitat of migratory bird populations like the Bicknell's Thrush.

The project is located in the community of Formon, on the edge of Macaya National Park, an important wintering habitat for the Bicknell’s Thrush, a secretive and threatened songbird that breeds in Atlantic Canada. Threats to the songbird, which has declined in Maritime Canada (Nova Scotia and New Brunswick) by 15% annually over the last two decades, include atmospheric pollution, climate change and loss or degradation of its forest habitats.
Community residents are provided an incentive – children attend school for free if their parents agree to stop cutting down the forest and help with reforestation – to adopt sustainable forest management practices which relieve pressure on important habitat for migratory birds. Over 80% of the parents have agreed, and for the second year in a row, the school has offered hope for 300 girls and boys.

The true significance of legislation like the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act is that it encourages cross-border conservation efforts -- which, for migratory birds, is the only truly effective means of saving species. It's an act that deserves continued support.

In the Wake of the Flood Released on DVD

If you're a fan of Margaet Atwood and her recent novel, The Year of the Flood, you'll want to check out In the Wake of the Flood, a documentary by Ron Mann released last week that chronicles her unique approach to the traditional book tour.

For those of you who weren't there at her Canadian stops, the tour was a creative blend of book reading,  interpretation, and hymnal singing. The performances drew crowds and glowing reviews across the country and internationally. 


In the Wake of the Flood (Teaser) from filmswelike on Vimeo.

It's been described as a major international literary event - each tour stop saw local actors and singers perform a script based on The Year of the Flood, with Atwood as narrator. The novel, which melds science, religion and nature, explores Atwood’s vision of an environmentally blighted, plague-ridden, and genetically altered future. It follows the 2003 publication of her dystopian novel Oryx and Crake, expanding on the storylines and characters in this post-apocalyptic world.

At four of her Canadian stops she used the spotlight to raise awareness about Nature Canada and its regional partners in bird conservation, saying:

"Conserving our precious migratory birds requires a united international effort. With partners like Nature Canada located along the world's many bird flyways, BirdLife is providing a safer journey for our endangered globetrotters, but it needs more support."

Donations made at Atwood's Year of the Flood performances went directly to support conservation work in Important Bird Areas in Canada. See photos of those tour stops here.


Nature Canada is the Canadian co-partner, with Bird Studies Canada, of BirdLife International, a global alliance of conservation organizations working together for the world's birds and people. As BirdLife in Canada, Nature Canada delivers the Important Bird Areas Program, which aims to identify, conserve and monitor a network of sites that provides essential habitat for bird populations. Margaret Atwood is the Joint Honorary President of BirdLife's Rare Bird Club with her husband, Graeme Gibson.

The Year of the Flood performances have been a terrific opportunity to raise awareness about Nature Canada and our partners engaged in bird conservation. It's a tremendous honor to have support from as tireless and dedicated an advocate for nature as Margaret Atwood.

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of In the Wake of the Flood DVDs will go directly to Nature Canada. Buy your copy from Sphinx Productions!

In his review for Macleans magazine, Brian D. Johnson wrote: “Taking us behind the curtain of Margaret Atwood’s travelling medicine show, ‘In the Wake of the Flood’ offers a candid, revealing portrait of the author as activist oracle - Atwood is the ultimate camp counseller, mounting a pageant to save the planet with a birdsong in her heart and a silent spring in her step.”

We've enjoyed watching it and we hope you do too!

Canada Stalls Agreement on Major International Protocol

We’ve blogged about the importance of reaching an agreement on a Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) of genetic resources, under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). ABS is one of the three fundamental objectives of the CBD, and centers on access to genetic resources and sharing of benefits arising from their use.

I'll use the same example I used before as to how ABS should work: an indigenous community holds the knowledge, passed through generations, that a certain plant has therapeutic properties (a genetic resource). A pharmaceutical company hears of this plant and would like to use it in the development of a new medicine. Under ABS, the pharmaceutical company will have to acquire (free) Prior Informed Consent from the indigenous people - the 'access' component of ABS - and enter into a contractual agreement with them. Once the resource has been commercialized, the pharmaceutical company will have to share the profits with the indigenous people - the 'benefit sharing' component of ABS. If the pharmaceutical company goes ahead without considering any of the ABS components, it may be labeled as committing an act of 'biopiracy'.

Failing to adopt a legally binding Protocol at the CBD’s tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP10) will have serious implications on the Convention’s implementation. The head of Brazil’s delegation, Paulino Franco de Carvalho, believes the Protocol ‘would be totally void’ if it did not recognize, and guarantee, the rights of indigenous people and local communities. In fact, he has has made it very clear that Brazil will not sign onto an ABS Protocol that is not fair.

It seems as though Canada is taking the lead in stalling an agreement as they push for the exclusion of indigenous peoples’ rights from the Protocol – an important component, given the valuable traditional knowledge that they hold.

Two pieces of text in the Protocol that Canada would like to exclude are 1) “taking into account the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as regards this Protocol”; and 2) “Affirms nothing in this Protocol shall be constructed as diminishing or extinguishing the rights that indigenous and local communities have now or may have in the future”. In other words, Canada does not want to make mention of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples or sign onto a Protocol that doesn't allow it to deviate from respecting their rights.

Apart from excluding indigenous peoples’ rights, the Canadian government took its position without consulting with any indigenous communities. Apparently, Canada does not pay for any indigenous representatives to attend these conferences, even though they’re granted ‘observer’ status!

BirdLife International believes that progress towards overcoming the biodiversity crisis faced by the world today, and implementing the CBD, largely depends on the adoption of a legally binding Protocol on ABS at COP10.

It is expected that over 120 environment ministers will be attending the final days of COP10 by the end of the week to sign the Protocol.

Birds Can Measure Progress Towards 2020 Biodiversity Target

Dunlin

 BirdLife International has released a new report, Meeting the 2020 biodiversity targets: action and monitoring based on birds. The report demonstrates how birds, and the Important Bird Areas (IBA) that support them, can be used as indicators to monitor progress towards reducing the current rate of biodiversity loss, and ultimately achieving the Convention on Biological Diversity’s (CBD) new 2020 Biodiversity Target.

IBAs are not only key sites for birds, but also many animals and plants, making them significant sites for biodiversity conservation. The 30 IBAs in Uganda provide a good example: they cover only 8% of the country yet hold 74% of Uganda's 1, 247 recorded butterfly species, of which 82% are endemic.

“Having failed to hit the 2010 targets, we cannot afford to fail again. Governments, civil society and businesses must all pull together to tackle the pressing issue of biodiversity loss – and birds signpost some very practical ways to make progress,” says Dr Leon Bennun, BirdLife’s Director of Science, Policy and Information.

Dr. Stuart Butchart, BirdLife’s Global Research and Indicators Coordinator adds, “Birds are very useful for identifying the specific actions required to meet these new targets, and for tracking the implementation and impact of such actions. Being widespread, well studied, and highly responsive to environmental change, birds are very valuable indicators.”

Given the importance of IBAs for biodiversity conservation, an IBA Protection Index - one example of how IBAs can be used to track progress - measures what percentage of these priority sites fall within protected areas networks. IBAs in protected areas are shown to be in better condition than those that exist outside of sites formally protected by governments. Measuring the level of protection of IBAs enables Parties to the CBD to track their progress towards biodiversity conservation - a commitment they’ve made under the Convention. IBA indices show that, on average, 39% of each IBA's area is protected, while 26% of IBAs are completely protected.

Additionally, the report demonstrates how birds provide strong evidence on the impacts of climate change on biodiversity. Information obtained from birds can be useful for climate change adaptation efforts.

Thousands of IBAs, One Map

Today, at the Convention on Biological Diversity’s (CBD) tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP10) in Nagoya, Japan, BirdLife International presented a map showing over 10,000 Important Bird Areas (IBAs) and their protection status around the world.

IBAs are discrete sites that support specific groups of birds: threatened birds, large groups of birds, and birds restricted by range or by habitat. IBAs range in size from very tiny patches of habitat to large tracts of land or water. They may encompass private or public land, and they may or may not overlap partially or entirely with legally protected sites. This ultimately makes IBAs an important tool for identifying conservation priorities, and fostering greater success in the conservation of bird populations.

The new map will serve as an important tool in assisting the CBD implement its Programme of Work on Protected Areas (PoWPA). Besides a holistic view of the protection status of global IBAs, Parties to the Convention will be able to identify what percentages of their IBAs are protected, and further guide them in the expansion of their protected areas networks. According to the protection status of IBAs, only 26% of IBAs worldwide are legally protected under national jurisdictions. In Canada, only 36% of IBAs are found in protected areas.

Nature Canada is the Canadian co-partner, with Bird Studies Canada, in BirdLife International. Together we deliver the international IBA program in Canada, which aims to identify, conserve and monitor a network of sites that provides essential habitat for bird populations.

BirdLife International’s Position on the International Regime for Access and Benefit Sharing

The Convention on Biological Diversity’s (CBD) tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP10) in Nagoya, Japan this October will set the stage for the agreement on a crucial component of the CBD: Access & Benefit Sharing, or ABS. ABS is one of the three fundamental objectives of the CBD, and centers on access to genetic resources and sharing of benefits arising from their use.

For example, an indigenous community holds the knowledge, passed through generations, that a certain plant has therapeutic properties (a genetic resource). A pharmaceutical company hears of this plant and would like to use it in the development of a new medicine. Under ABS, the pharmaceutical company will have to acquire (free) Prior Informed Consent from the indigenous people - the 'access' component of ABS - and enter into a contractual agreement with them. Once the resource has been commercialized, the pharmaceutical company will have to share the profits with the indigenous people - the 'benefit sharing' component of ABS. If the pharmaceutical company goes ahead without considering any of the ABS components, it may be labeled as committing an act of 'biopiracy'.

BirdLife International believes that progress towards overcoming the biodiversity crisis faced by the world today, and implementing the CBD, largely depends on the adoption of a legally binding Protocol on ABS at COP10.

However, draft text for the Protocol has yet to be finalized, although there are hopes that the Interregional Negotiating Group (ING) of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group on Access and Benefit-sharing (WG-ABS) will conclude this week's last-minute meeting with a draft, agreed upon by all Parties, to be presented for finalization and approval at COP10.

According to Dr. Muhtari Aminu-Kano, BirdLife’s Senior Adviser on Policy and Advocacy

Several key Governments see progress in developing a new agreement on ABS as absolutely necessary, and are willing to block progress in all other areas of the CBD until such an agreement is reached. We are asking politicians to get their acts together and stop unnecessarily blocking the negotiations.

In addition to the adoption of an ABS Protocol at COP10, BirdLife International believes that Parties must:

• Adopt a comprehensive, ambitious and achievable Strategic Plan with associated 2020 Targets. This should include a framework to involve local communities and civil society in achieving its aims, and should recognise the importance of linking biodiversity conservation to improved livelihoods and poverty reduction.
• Agree on mechanisms to ensure each country has the resources it needs for effective implementation of the CBD. This must involve an increase in biodiversity budgets in all countries, and new and increased money from developed countries to developing countries. We want governments to recognise that at least a tenfold increase in funding is needed by 2020.
• Agree to expand protected area networks, particularly in marine areas, to cover all areas of particular importance for biodiversity. Standard criteria should be developed for the identification of sites of global biodiversity significance.
• Agree on clear actions to promote synergies between the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) at national and international levels. Biodiversity and ecosystems underpin effective climate change mitigation and adaptation and are in turn impacted by climate change. This must be recognised within all decisions and actions taken to address climate change.

It's the International Year of Biodiversity so call on Canada's Government to protect biodiversity by signing our open letter to Prime Minister Harper to take 5 steps on behalf of biodiversity.

Read about how Important Bird Areas (IBAs) help the CBD achieve its targets and why the CBD's implementation may be at risk.

How IBAs Help Us Reach CBD Targets

Tofino Mudflats IBA, BC - Photo by Barb Beasley

In a previous blog we highlighted how Important Bird Areas (IBAs) are used as an indicator to assess Goal 7, ensuring environmental sustainability, in the 2010 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) report. We also emphasized how IBAs contribute to the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) but didn’t explain how it would be achieved. Data on the conditions, threats and conservation actions undertaken in IBAs, under BirdLife’s global IBAs monitoring framework, has made it possible to measure the CBD’s implementation progress. The BirldLife monitoring framework is designed to be simple, sustainable, cost-effective, and maximize local participation and institutional engagement.

The monitoring framework’s capacity to track trends in IBAs over time was well demonstrated in a paper published by BirdLife’s journal, Bird Conservation International, in which they examined Kenya's IBA trends between 1999 and 2005. IBA indices for 36 IBAs showed that overall average conditions deteriorated during this time. However, pressures/threats slightly declined in intensity, especially between 2004 and 2005, where increased conservation action resulted in improved management practices that reflected in more favourable result scores for that year. According to Kiragu Mwangi, the paper’s lead author,

The results provide vital information for managers of individual protected areas, management agencies responsible for suites of sites, and national governments, and can be used to track progress in tackling the global biodiversity crisis.

Another co-author, Stuart Butchart, BirdLife’s Global Research and Indicators Coordinator, said:

The IBA monitoring framework is being implemented globally by the BirdLife Partnership and will make a significant contribution towards tracking the CBD 2020 target that seeks to ensure that important biodiversity areas are conserved through effectively managed protected areas.

BirdLife will have a strong presence (approx. 95 staff) at the CBD’s tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP10) and will be leading and convening several side events. On October 25, the BirdLife International Partnership will present, for the first time, a global inventory of over 10,000 terrestrial IBAs and their protection status. It will also highlight key aspects of its site conservation approach that involves working with local communities across the globe to identify, document, monitor and conserve this network of globally important sites for birds and other biodiversity. On October 26, a Partnership Agreement between the Secretariats of the CBD and BirdLife International will be signed and a publication that shows how bird-related indicators can help to track progress in meeting biodiversity targets will be launched. For more information on side events taking place during COP10 please click here.

Nature Canada is the Canadian co-partner, with Bird Studies Canada, in BirdLife International. Together we deliver the international IBA program in Canada, which aims to identify, conserve and monitor a network of sites that provides essential habitat for bird populations.

IBAs are discrete sites that support specific groups of birds: threatened birds, large groups of birds, and birds restricted by range or by habitat. IBAs range in size from very tiny patches of habitat to large tracts of land or water. They may encompass private or public land, and they may or may not overlap partially or entirely with legally protected sites. This ultimately makes IBAs an important tool for identifying conservation priorities, and fostering greater success in the conservation of bird populations.

Young girl takes up Piping Plover cause

Here’s an inspiring story. Annie Buckton is a nine-year-old girl from the small community of Southampton, ON, who spends summers at her family’s cottage at nearby Sauble Beach. There her fondness for nature and wild things developed, especially for the Piping Plover, an endangered bird species native to the area. This fall, as the Plovers wing their way into the disaster-struck Gulf, Annie has found a way to help, as her mother writes in a letter to Nature Canada:

Like so many of us, Annie watched and read stories about the horrific oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico earlier this year. Every day, she would ask her parents if the spill had stopped and every day she received the same grim answer – not today. Annie and her family traveled to the Gulf of Mexico last March and the magnitude of the disaster weighed heavily on her. As a nine year old, Annie couldn’t conceive the catastrophic havoc the spill would wreak on the ocean’s ecosystem, the damage to the livelihoods of fishermen, resort owners, land owners and all the endless industries that are indirectly affected. But what Annie did comprehend and what would consume her thoughts endlessly was what will happen to the wildlife, the water and shores? She watched in horror as the Audubon society plucked endangered species from the oily muck and attempted to clean them up and find new homes for them.

Things really hit home, however; when Annie and her mother read a story about the potential tragedy facing the Piping Plovers. For years, Annie has observed a dedicated group of bird lovers and environmentalists watch over the birds, protecting them from predators. The Piping Plover is just one of the many Canadian migratory bird species flying into the Gulf this season. Piping Plovers spend their winters mainly on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States, Mexico and Cuba, particularly on beaches, mudflats, sandflats, bays, lagoons and inlets. Their spring migration peaks during mid-April; while many individuals would have already left the Gulf when the leak at Deepwater Horizon began, some may have been caught in the spill.

Although the fall migration peaks in August and September, plovers can begin to leave their breeding grounds as early as June or July if nest conditions have been unfavourable. These birds are heading straight to a region where their habitat and food sources may have been compromised and are still at risk from oil contamination.

Annie’s mother picks up the story:

This sad story broke Annie’s heart and led her to ask her mother a question that brimmed with the innocence and idealism of youth, “Mom, do you think I could paint a picture of a Piping Plover, frame it and ask that it be put it up in the Southampton Gallery for sale, and then I could give the money to save the Plovers?” Her parents, touched by the notion, called the Southampton Art Gallery, spoke to the Directors of both the gallery and the school and they in turn suggested they all take Annie’s idea one step further and invite talented local artists to join Annie and mount an exhibition and sale with proceeds going to efforts in the Gulf.

With the support of Annie and her family, the Southampton Art Gallery is hosting a month long exhibit in the Guest Gallery this Sunday, October 10 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. EST. The exhibit and sale will continue until November 4. Coincidentally the Gallery’s event launch day is also the same day that that has been declared by 350.org as the day “to do something that will help deal with global warming in your city or community. “

Artists from all genres are encouraged to follow Annie’s lead. The Gallery is looking for additional pieces of artwork to be donated to the exhibit for the sale. Proceeds will go to Nature Canada to be directed to the National Audubon Society of the United States to support clean-up and recovery efforts in the Gulf. Nature Canada and the Audubon Society are both members of BirdLife International, a global partnership of conservation organizations that strives to conserve birds, their habitats and global biodiversity, working with people towards sustainability in the use of natural resources.

Southampton Art Gallery is located at the corner of highway 21 and Main Street in Southampton, Ontario. For more details please call 519-797-5068 or 1-800-806-8838.

Lights, Camera, Action! Nature Canada joins Margaret Atwood on the Red Carpet

Margaret Atwood with a Nature Canada
bookmark during the Year of the Flood tour

The countdown is on to Canada's largest environmental film festival! The worlds of birders, movie celebs and environmentalists will collide as Planet in Focus kicks off this year with the Ron Mann film In the Wake of the Flood, a documentary about author Margaret Atwood's worldwide Year of the Flood book tour – and Nature Canada makes a small appearance.

Nature Canada joined Atwood for four stops on the Canadian leg of her tour, which were also fundraisers and awareness raising events for Nature Canada. Donations made at performances in Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary, and Vancouver went directly to support conservation work at Important Bird Areas throughout Canada.

Mann, director of Comic Book Confidential and Go Further, chronicled Atwood's journey from Edinburgh to London to New York and across Canada. Former Nature Canada board member, Anne Murray, has a fleeting glimpse at fame as she was filmed taking Atwood birdwatching along Vancouver's coast!

Nature Canada Executive Director Ian Davidson will brave the paparazzi to attend the premiere, as well as a special Nature Canada fundraising reception at which Atwood and her partner Graeme Gibson will receive Planet in Focus' Canadian Eco Hero Award.

Atwood and Gibson are the Joint Honourary Presidents of the Rare Bird Club within BirdLife International, a global alliance of conservation organizations working together for the world's birds and people. As BirdLife in Canada, Nature Canada and Bird Studies Canada deliver the Important Bird Areas Program, which aims to identify, conserve and monitor a network of sites that provides essential habitat for bird populations.

On the tour, and in the film, Atwood cited bird conservation as a cause dear to her heart, and the members of BirdLife International as effective protectors of birds and their habitat.

The 11th Annual Planet in Focus International Environmental Film & Video Festival opens on Wednesday, October 13. The Opening Night screening of In the Wake of the Flood will also include a musical performance of passages from the novel. Tickets are on sale now!

Not in the Toronto area? A second Nature Canada fundraising event to promote the DVD release of the film is planned for December 2, so mark your calendars and we will keep you posted with details in the coming weeks.

IBAs Used as Indicator in the 2010 Millennium Development Goals Report

Whooping Crane flock, USFWS, Dave Menke

Important Bird Areas (IBAs), one of BirdLife International’s major Global Programmes, have been used as a key indicator to assess Goal 7, ensuring environmental sustainability, in the 2010 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) report. Given that IBAs are discrete sites that support specific groups of birds: threatened birds, large concentrations of birds, and birds restricted by range or by habitat, they serve as good indicators demonstrating the progress towards the protection of threatened species habitat.

The report recognizes the important contribution IBAs make to conserving biodiversity and achieving the objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). "The UN report recognizes the critical role that BirdLife’s data can play in focusing action and tracking progress towards environmental sustainability", said Dr Stuart Butchart, BirdLife's Global Research and Indicators Coordinator. "It is a tribute to the dedicated efforts of the BirdLife Partnership and others in gathering and analyzing information on the world’s birds and the key sites for their conservation."

According to the report more than two thirds of IBAs are not protected or only partially protected; the rate of biodiversity loss is not slowing down; mammals are more threatened than birds; and both mammals and birds in the developing world are more threatened than those found in the developed world.

Canada's IBA program started in 1996 with a five-year effort that focused on site identification and designation. There are currently approximately 600 IBAs across all Canadian provinces.

IBAs, from the Tundra to Tierra del Fuego

What makes Important Bird Areas (IBAs) so important?

Birds can tell us about the state of biodiversity that underpins our lives. IBAs are defined by birds, but they are vital for all life on Earth. Watch this video to learn more:

(If you can't see the full width, view the original here.)

This video was produced by BirdLife International for the launch of Important Bird Areas Americas: Priority Sites for Biodiversity Conservation, a directory of key conservation sites across the Western hemisphere.

International Day for Biological Diversity

Today is the International Day for Biological Diversity and there are many celebrations taking place around the world. This year’s theme, “Biodiversity for Development and Poverty Alleviation”, was chosen during the International Year of Biodiversity to step up efforts in raising awareness on poverty and bring about action to alleviate it.

The theme also makes obvious the link between biodiversity loss and poverty; we all depend on biodiversity for our well-being one way or another, but many poor communities directly depend on biodiversity for their daily sustenance. Should we fail to address the issue of biodiversity loss more seriously, these communities, as well as many vulnerable countries, will be the ones most affected by our shortcomings.

BirdLife International, of which Nature Canada is the Canadian co-partner with Bird Studies Canada, has taken this opportunity to showcase a series of projects from the BirdLife Partnership’s work around the world that are aimed to improve livelihoods while conserving biodiversity.

“It is within the reach of this generation, not the last one, not the next one, to turn the tide of the massive and growing ecological crisis that is worsening poverty for millions of people and threatens all life on Earth”
-- Dr. Marco Lambertini, BirdLife International’s Chief Executive

Another great quote that reinforces Dr. Lambertini's with respect to this generation's responsibility is that by Zig Ziglar:

"Our children are our only hope for the future, but we are their only hope for their present and their future"

We would also like to share with you three great cartoon drawings by Rory McCann, a young artist who has developed a strong appreciation for nature, in celebration of the International Year of Biodiversity (IYB).

Cartoons by Rory McCann