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Goals and Objectives
- The goal of this project is to fund locally led conservation
actions to primarily benefit wetland habitat and/or migratory
waterfowl at approximately 5-10 Important Bird Areas (IBAs) across
the country in 2007 – 08.
- Projects will be undertaken within Canada’s officially
recognized IBAs, or will contribute directly to the conservation
of an IBA, and will focus on the birds and habitats for which
the site has been identified.
- Types of projects that will be supported will generally involve
direct habitat restoration work.
- The overall objective of this project is to foster improved
habitat quality at the selected IBAs, through the delivery of
site-appropriate habitat activities.
- This project will lead to improved community-level capacity
for IBA site-based stewardship activities, and will ultimately
result in long-term habitat improvements that benefit bird species
within these priority IBAs.
- This project is a continuation of a successful collaboration
between Nature Canada and Wildlife Habitat Canada in 2006/07,
where support from Wildlife Habitat Canada allowed Nature Canada
to partner with several local groups working on IBA habitat restoration
activities.
Activities
- The IBA Habitat Conservation Project will provide grants up
to $20,000 to individuals or community-based groups for high-priority
IBA projects that contribute to the conservation of bird species
and their habitats within an IBA.
- Types of projects that will be supported are: implementation
of conservation actions where a clear need is identified; habitat
enhancement, rehabilitation or restoration projects; negotiation
of easements or landowner stewardship agreements; and IBA landowner
awareness programs.
- Projects will be selected from information that has already
been provided to Nature Canada on potential IBA project partnerships
for 2007/08, and by soliciting additional project ideas from our
existing network of local IBA stewards and our broader Canadian
Nature Network (comprising provincial/territorial affiliated nature
organizations and approximately 360 locally-based naturalist clubs).
- Proposed projects will be evaluated based on the conservation
priority of the IBA where the work is proposed (including the
threats facing its habitats, and the biological significance of
the site for birds), the capacity and experience of the local
group to deliver the needed conservation activities, the leverage
brought by the partner (including the level of volunteer involvement
proposed and the degree to which the project will foster sustained
capacity for IBA stewardship beyond the scope of the project partnership),
and the probability of success of the proposed project.
Specific Habitat Products/Results to be Supported by WHC’s
Contributions
Estimates of the projected conservation outcomes of the local
IBA habitat conservation activities cannot be provided until project
selection is finalized for 2007/08. Once project locations are identified,
an estimate of the number of hectares to be affected by the IBA
activities will be provided, as well as anticipated habitat products
and/or results supported by Wildlife Habitat Canada’s contributions.
Benefits to Wildlife
Specific conservation actions to be undertaken at each IBA will
be identified in each project proposal, with an emphasis on concrete
actions to conserve and restore habitat beneficial to the species
for which the individual IBA was established. Projects may include
such activities as removal of invasive species, re-vegetation with
native species, improvement of wetland condition, shoreline rehabilitation,
and working with adjacent landowners. These activities will result
in immediate improvement of habitat quality within the IBA, and
in anticipated longer-term conservation benefits for the bird species,
and broader biodiversity, that rely on the IBA.
Relevance to Habitat Planning, Decision Making and/or Management
The conservation and restoration of habitat in Important Bird Areas
is a direct contribution to the goals of the North American Bird
Conservation Initiative. Individual projects will provide information
to local decision makers and decision making processes, depending
on the specific locations chosen.
Project Location
Projects will occur in various locations in Canada, all within
designated IBAs (see www.ibacanada.ca
for map of all of Canada’s IBAs). Project locations will be
finalized as individual projects are selected for support.
Project Contact
For more information on this project, please contact Julie
Gelfand, President, Nature Canada, Ottawa, Ontario.
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