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Conserving our Migratory Birds Recommendations for Budget 2006 Recommendation Background and Rationale The decline of birds in Canada represents a literal ‘canary in the coal mine’ for our environment. For many reasons, birds are effective bioindicators of the health of their, and our, physical, chemical and biological environment. They occur broadly in Canada and beyond our borders, and thus integrate the effect of environmental stressors. Yet 25% of the 350 species of birds that occur regularly in Canada are in decline or are otherwise of concern. The federal government’s recognized migratory bird responsibilities, which derive from the Migratory Birds Convention signed with the United States Government, mean these concerns should be incorporated into all policies, programs and actions affecting nature in Canada, for terrestrial, freshwater and marine areas. However, Canada’s commitment to migratory bird science and conservation has been eroding over the past 30 years, notwithstanding some notable exceptions (investments in the North American Waterfowl Management Plan which helped lead to the continent’s largest combined conservation effort, and in birds at risk through the Species At Risk Act). Bird conservation programs need to be enhanced to help those species that are in decline before they are put on the critical list. Once species are on the critical list, they must be addressed through the onerous and expensive auspices of Species at Risk programs. Keeping common birds common is a much more effective strategy. A reinvestment in migratory bird conservation would stimulate other important investments and contributions, and would strategically advance the conservation of Canada’s valuable and cherished nature. Total Investment Contact
George Finney, Bird Studies Canada |