2010 FIELD REPORT ••••••••••••••

The year 2010 brought new projects, new faces, and new conservation achievements to the National Audubon Society’s International Alliances Program (IAP). In keeping with our

mission, IAP works with organizations throughout Latin America and the Caribbean to protect and restore critical sites for migratory birds and broader biodiversity in Important Bird Areas

(IBAs). Over the past 12 months our program has helped locally-based organizations place almost 5,000 acres of land into protection, reach and engage more than 40,000 people in conservation action, and remove more than 64 tons of trash from coastal IBAs. IAP also

facilitated mentorships and training for staff from 23 different organizations, primarily through our partnership with BirdLife International—a global coalition of organizations committed to

the conservation of birds and biodiversity. We created and improved linkages between Audubon programs at the national, state, and local levels in the US with organizations and

projects addressing the loss of habitat for migratory birds in their winter ranges. By supporting local efforts in and around these critical IBAs, IAP is cultivating new leaders who

will identify and deliver solutions to pressing conservation problems that threaten the migratory birds whose flight paths know no political boundaries.

INTERNATIONAL ALLIANCES PROGRAM

MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS OF 2010 THROUGH ITS PROJECTS AND COLLABORATIONS THIS PAST YEAR, IAP AND ITS PARTNERS HAVE:

Completed a Conservation Plan for the Bay of Panama, which will guide future conservation action in this critical migration corridor for shorebirds

Educated and engaged 22,000 people through a public awareness campaign in Veracruz, Mexico

Cleared more than 64 tons of trash from shorelines and engaged over 20,000 people through educational programs and conservation actions in Panama and El Salvador

Logged more than 700 volunteer hours of on-the-ground conservation in Panama Placed over 3,000 acres of forest and1,200 acres of shorebird habitat into protection and

helped restore over 600 acres of wetlands, all in within IBAs in Mexico Facilitated one-on-one mentorships between international partners and 15 Audubon

divisions, as well as supported two international partners for their participation in Audubon’s TogetherGreen Leadership Institute

In conjunction with BirdLife International, launched a Directory for Important Bird Areas of the Americas, setting a blueprint for hemispheric conservation

Hosted Audubon’s New CEO and President David Yarnold in Veracruz, Mexico Established and guided an International Alliance for the Conservation of Wood Thrush, a

rapidly declining Neotropical migrant that winters in the forests of Central America

Photos this page, clockwise from bottom left: Sandra Tassel, Panama Audubon, Karl Kaufman (2), Pronatura, USFWS, Emily Horton.

WOOD THRUSH INITIATIVE •• With the objective of stabilizing the alarming decline of Wood Thrush populations and supporting better management of forested IBAs throughout Central America, Audubon led efforts to train field biologists from Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Honduras, Belize and Panama this year. The biologists that took part in this training created an alliance to address the decline of this Neotropical migrant. The alliance will focus on determining habitat preferences and ecological influences that affect the survival of Wood Thrush in forests of the tropics. The information gathered in this study will aid in the development of management guidelines for forests that will address the dramatic decline of this species.

INTERNATIONAL ALLIANCES PROGRAM | FIELD REPORT 2010

VERACRUZ, MEXICO •• The River of Raptors is one of the great migration events of the world. More than 4.5 million hawks, kites, vultures and falcons pass through Veracruz, Mexico each fall as they fly south to their wintering grounds. This year, IAP, Pronatura Veracruz, Rare, and Hawk Mountain completed the initial phase of a campaign to protect critical roosting habitat at this globally important migration site. Working with local landowners, the campaign placed more than 3,000 acres of forest into conservation protection, educated and engaged more than 20,000 local people, and ran a training workshop for hawk watch sites throughout Central America. Going forward, IAP will support and train local landowners in developing alternative livelihoods to diversify income streams that add economic value to their privately owned forests. We are also working with the national and local governments to create tax incentives and payments for ecosystem services that the forests provide to local communities. As part of this program, IAP brought leaders from Pronatura Veracruz, as well as Panama Audubon Society and BirdLife International, to Audubon’s Raptor Conference in Connecticut. This meeting resulted in commitments from Audubon CT, Audubon VT, and Audubon PA to provide resources to, and exchange knowledge with, Pronatura for forest stewardship projects that will address habitat loss in Latin America. Staff from Pronatura also toured New England sites and learned about Audubon’s forest stewardship and education programs in Vermont.

PANAMA BAY •• The completion of a conservation plan for the Bay of Panama was a landmark achievement for IAP this year. This plan will serve as a road map for conservation action in one of the most important sites for migratory birds on the Pacific Coast of the Americas. Throughout the development of this conservation plan, Audubon mentored and supported BirdLife partner Panama Audubon Society (PAS) and collaborated with other Panamanian organizations and government institutions that will be instrumental in the implementation process. Panama Bay faces numerous threats including uncontrolled urban development, agricultural encroachment and pollution, and poor government oversight. This conservation plan outlines comprehensive, feasible approaches to sustaining the natural resources of the Bay for the benefit of both the Panamanian economy and the country’s biodiversity. As part of the project, Audubon California hosted and mentored Rosabel Miro, PAS’ executive director, on nature center management, board-staff roles, stakeholder engagement, marketing, and fundraising this past spring. Through Audubon’s support, Panama Audubon Society is transforming from a bird-watching club into a fully-fledged conservation organization.

All Veracruz photos: Ewan Burns

Karl Kaufman

USFWS

Pronatura

Karl Kaufman

Panama Audubon

SOUTHERN CONE GRASSLANDS •• Over the last year, Audubon advanced a unified conservation approach across the four countries of the Southern Cone grasslands in South America that support many long-distance grassland migrants from the US and Canada. IAP, along with staff from Audubon’s Mississippi River Initiative, trained biologists from Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay in conservation planning, using standardized techniques and language that will facilitate better collaboration on conservation work in the region aimed at protecting IBAs. These trainees have now become the trainers in the Southern Cone and are implementing the techniques learned from Audubon to implement a regional Memorandum of Understanding between their national governments to adhere to the Convention on Migratory Species.

CHILOÉ ISLAND •• Along with several Chilean and international NGOs and government agencies, IAP launched the Chiloé Island Shorebird Conservation Initiative this year. The tidelands of this northern Patagonian archipelago off the coast of Chile host a number of priority long-distance shorebird migrants, including globally significant populations of Hudsonian Godwits and Whimbrels. The initiative developed a conservation plan that outlines priority actions necessary to protect these birds and the IBAs that they depend on. IAP is now working to develop the skills and resource base of the local organization CECPAN. This past fall, IAP facilitated leadership training and international networking opportunities for CECPAN’s executive director through Audubon’s TogetherGreen Leadership Institute. Joining 40 of the nation’s top community conservation leaders, Jorge Valenzuela received training in community education and outreach, conservation planning, and project evaluation. In addition, Audubon North Carolina hosted Jorge for a week of mentoring that will help CECPAN with its ongoing projects to protect the IBAs of Chiloé.

IMPORTANT BIRD AREAS OF THE AMERICAS BOOK LAUNCH •• BirdLife’s newly released IBA Directory for the Americas identifies 2,345 top-priority conservation sites in 57 countries from the Canadian Arctic to the tip of South America. IAP partnered with Audubon and BirdLife to host the launch of the book in Washington, DC last spring. Speakers included Inter-American Development Bank President Luis Moreno, former US Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson, Audubon’s interim president Frank Gill, and renowned authors Margaret Atwood and Graeme Gibson. The launch gained international press coverage and helped elevate IBAs onto the global agenda.

BAHÍA SAN QUINTÍN •• IAP continues to collaborate with Rare and a regional coalition led by Pro Esteros, one of our Mexican partner organizations, on an awareness-building campaign in Bahía San Quintín, Mexico. The campaign is gathering support from citizens and key stakeholders for federal protection of the region’s Important Bird Area, which is home to some of the most pristine coastal salt marshes in North America. More than 180 migratory bird species from the Pacific Flyway rely on the resources of Bahía San Quintín each year. This coalition has gained momentum in the local community, media, and government, and is now working to strengthen inter-agency collaboration for the conservation of this critical site. Support from California Audubon chapters has been instrumental to this campaign’s success.

Enrique Fuentes

Pro Esteros

Pro Esteros

Gustavo Marino

Gustavo Marino

Sandra Tassel

CECPAN

Sandra Tassel

National Audubon Society | International Alliances Program 1150 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 600 Washington, DC 20036

(202) 861-2242, x. 3048 | IAP.audubon.org | international@audubon.org

LOOKING AHEAD With the support of the Audubon network, 2011 will be a year of growth for IAP. We will continue to conserve IBAs throughout the Americas that support “our” breeding birds. In 2011, IAP plans to: Work with our partners in Panama to implement strategies from the conservation plan for the Bay of Panama Establish Team Warbler – a partnership with Richmond Audubon Society, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Audubon’s Virginia IBA Program, that will create cross-cultural and educational programs for schools in Panama Bay and the Chesapeake Bay, featuring the Prothonotary Warbler as a linkage species Begin scientific research on Panama Bay with graduate and undergraduate students from VCU

Collaborate with the International Alliance for Wood Thrush by supporting research efforts at IBAs in Central America Develop forest management guidelines for private forests in the tropics by applying and expanding the scope of Audubon’s Forest Stewardship Program

Develop a partnership between Audubon’s Mississippi River Initiative and locally-based partners in the Southern Cone Establish and support a mangrove alliance that protects coastal IBAs throughout the Americas Identify opportunities for international staff exchanges that will expand knowledge between Audubon and organizations in the Americas working to conserve IBAs Expand collaborative efforts among local, national, and international stakeholders for conservation work on Chiloé Island Place into protection an additional 500 hectares of forest in Veracruz and train landowners to diversify income streams through alternative farming practices and sustainable harvests Lead efforts in the Bahamas to identify and begin to conserve the most critical sites for wintering Piping Plovers, one of Audubon’s top 10 most endangered birds

INTERNATIONAL ALLIANCES PROGRAM | Annual Report 2010 INTERNATIONAL ALLIANCES PROGRAM | FIELD REPORT 2010

Since our program’s inception in 2006, IAP has achieved significant progress in conserving priority landscapes for migratory birds throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. We have also taken large steps in guiding Audubon to take a stance as an emergent leader in conservation beyond US borders. But perhaps the most crucial impact that we have had on bird conservation to date has been the resounding strengthening of our in-country partner organizations and the attendant increase in their effectiveness to conserve biodiversity for many years to come. Generous support from our donors makes all of this possible.

Thank you for your continued support. I look forward to working with you in 2011.

•• Craig Lee, Audubon International Alliances Program

Audubon is the BirdLife International Partner in the United States.

Emily Horton

Printed on 100% recycled paper with 100% soy-based ink.

Panama Audubon Karl Kaufman