Using communication and education to help achieve bird conservation

In 2010 Partners In Flight published Saving Our Shared Birds: Partners In Flight Tri-National Vision for Landbird Conservation. The document analyzes the species, habitats, and conservation actions of the highest tri-national importance between Canada, the United States, and Mexico, and suggests six priority actions to prevent further loss of bird diversity and abundance, including protecting and recovering species at greatest risk, conserving habitats and ecosystem functions, expanding our knowledge base for conservation, increasing international partnerships, and engaging people in conservation action.

To be effective, conservation programs need to build human capacity to carry out conservation actions. Strategic education, international capacity, engaging more people in citizen science, and promoting the economic benefits of bird conservation are all essential to ultimately conserve birds and their habitats. The Bird Education Alliance for Conservation (BEAC) implements bird conservation in this manner. BEAC promotes collaboration between Canada, the United States, and Mexico to implement these activities. Education and communication are fundamental tools to achieve conservation goals for birds. Collaboration between conservationists and educators will help ensure that education objectives are tied specifically to conservation objectives through the use of appropriate messages transmitted through the most effective communication tools. Education objectives need to be tied specifically to conservation objectives, focusing on the highest tri-national priority species and habitats.

BEAC is currently working to implement Action 5, engaging people in conservation action. As part of this effort, we are developing a network of bird conservation educators who want to be involved in a tri-national effort to promote strategic education, develop international capacity, engage more people in citizen science, and promote the economic benefits of birding. If you are interested in participating in this effort, please contact Jennie Duberstein.