Species Conservation Plans

Ranking scheme for prioritizing species for conservation planning.

Species Conservation Plans:

American Oystercatcher, Haematopus palliatus (Atlantic & Gulf Coasts of the US) (2 MB)
Black Oystercatcher, Haematopus bachmani (1 MB)
Hudsonian Godwit, Limosa haemastica (2 MB)
Marbled Godwit, Limosa fedoa (2 MB)
Red Knot, Calidris canutus (12 MB),
       - Conservation Action Summary, 
       - 2008 Species Status Report (Niles, et al.) (79 KB)
Dunlin , Calidris alpina (3 MB) - NEW!
Western Sandpiper, Calidris mauri (1 MB)
Upland Sandpiper, Bartramia longicauda (2 MB) - NEW!
Red-necked Phalarope, Phalaropus lobatus (Northeast US and Canada) (389 KB)

A “Conservation Action Summary” is a 2-page fact sheet that summarizes a species conservation plan, with special emphasis on the conservation action items identified in the plan.

Background

The Canadian and US Shorebird Conservation plans (2000, and 2001 respectively) have identified the North American shorebird species of greatest conservation concern.  Half (27 of 54) of the species or subspecies regularly occurring in Canadaand the U.S are identified in the plans as either “Highly Imperiled” or as a “Species of High Concern.” Detailed plans for protecting each species have been lacking up to now, and current levels of conservation action are inadequate to support the goal of self-sustaining, stable populations.

With support from the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), WHSRN is catalyzing and supporting species-specific working groups for the shorebird species at greatest risk.  This is being done cooperatively with shorebird conservation plan teams in countries where they exist, and with other experts drawn from the species’ range-countries throughout North, Central, and South America.  The groups are charged with producing an initial list of sites likely to be critical for each species, and on-the-ground management activities needed at those sites to provide high quality habitat.  Where possible, other conservation activities and related research needs are identified and prioritized, based on existing information or studies that can be completed in the near term. 

The planning teams have been formed with the goal of addressing the most at-risk species first and including all the high-priority species within three years.  The first step will be to enumerate sites of known importance and priority management activities that can be initiated promptly to benefit the species.  This will be done even as the slower work of identifying new sites and an overarching conservation strategy proceeds.  For sites identified by working groups that meet the WHSRN criteria, landowners and managers are being contacted and actively encouraged to nominate their site for inclusion in the Network.  Completed plans may be downloaded from the top of this page.

Working with the NFWF and other funders, WHSRN seeks to create a substantial conservation fund that will be disbursed to implement these actions once a species plan has been drafted and meets the established standards.  Partners will include provincial/state agencies, joint ventures and conservation NGOs working to improve the conservation status of the target species.