The bird conservation community is composed of numerous partnerships at the national, regional, and local level that work together for bird conservation. Many of these partnerships have formal plans that guide their work. Some of the major national and regional multi-species partnerships and their plans are listed here. Check out this visualization tool for one representation of how these partnerships fit together within the bird community.
Below are examples of existing partnerships within the community. US NABCI also encourages new and unconventional partnerships with entities whose primary focus is not bird conservation. These partnerships can open the door to a more diverse group of constituents. See our Field Guide to Developing Partnerships for more information.
Migratory Bird Joint Ventures – Migratory Bird Joint Ventures are cooperative, regional partnerships that work to conserve habitat for the benefit of birds, other wildlife, and people. There are twenty-two habitat-based Joint Ventures, each addressing the bird habitat conservation issues found within their geographic area. In addition, three species-based Joint Ventures, all with an international scope, work to further the scientific understanding needed to effectively manage populations of specific bird species.
Partners in Flight – Partners in Flight focuses on landbird conservation throughout the Americas through voluntary partnerships for birds, habitats, and people, working to help both species at risk and keep common birds common. Their 2016 Continental Landbird Plan provides an up-to-date biological foundation for conservation of North American landbirds, including species assessment scores, stewardship responsibility for breeding and nonbreeding seasons, habitat associations, and major threats.
In addition to Partners in Flight’s broad emphasis on landbird conservation, many additional partnerships focus in more detail on smaller subgroups of landbirds. These partnerships include the Resident Game Bird Initiatives as well as other focal-species based initiatives for both game and non-game birds.
U.S. Shorebird Conservation Partnership – The US Shorebird Conservation Partnership is part of an international collaboration to ensure that adequate shorebird habitat is maintained at the local level and to maintain or restore shorebird populations at the continental and hemispheric levels. A national plan guides the work of the Shorebird Council.
Waterbird Conservation for the Americas – The Waterbird Initiative is an international, broad-based voluntary partnership that works to ensure that the distribution, diversity, and abundance of populations and habitats of breeding, migratory, and nonbreeding waterbirds are sustained or restored throughout the lands and waters of the Americas. Their work is guided through a series of regional plans.
North American Waterfowl Management Plan – U.S. and Canadian governments developed a strategy to restore waterfowl populations through habitat protection, restoration, and enhancement back in 1986. Since then, a variety of partners have implemented the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP) with the goal of creating conditions for abudant and resilient waterfowl populations and sustainable landscapes through management decisions based on strong biological foundations.
The Flyways and the National Flyway Council – Four administrative Flyways facilitate the management of migratory game birds based on routes birds follow as they travel between breeding and wintering areas; each Flyway Council is a partnership comprised of representatives from each state, provincial, and territorial agency within the Flyway.
Bird Conservation Committee (BCC) of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) – AFWA’s BCC meets twice annually and serves as a forum for states and their federal and NGO partners to discuss national bird conservation issues and share resources. This Committee’s four working groups: Waterfowl, Migratory Shore and Upland Game Bird, Resident Game Bird, Partners in Flight/Shorebird/Waterbird-implement bird conservation projects that help states and their partners achieve collaborative bird conservation.