North American conservation of migratory birds: letter of intent

Plain language summary

The Letter of Intent related to the Conservation of Migratory Birds in North America (LOI) is to renew and reaffirm tri-national efforts to collaborate on the conservation, protection, and restoration of migratory birds and their habitats in North America.

This LOI is meant to continue to expand and participate in cooperative and collaborative efforts for migratory bird conservation at local to tri-national scale. The development of a Vision for Bird Conservation for the Next Century and its implementation, the expansion of bird conservation partnerships throughout the Western Hemisphere, as well as the continued participation and support of collaborative initiatives such as the Migratory Birds Working Table at the Trilateral Committee, the North American Bird Conservation Initiative (NABCI), the North American Waterfowl Management Plan, the Commission on Environmental Cooperation, and Join Ventures, will ensure that the countries fulfill the pledge that they’ve taken.

Objective

The Letter of Intent aims to renew and reaffirm tri-national efforts to collaborate on the conservation, protection, and restoration of migratory birds and their habitats in North America.

Key elements

By endorsing the LOI, the three federal departments pledge to strengthen collaboration throughout North America to address bird and habitat conservation both within and beyond their borders and to work together to implement this vision.

The three federal departments reached the following understanding on migratory bird and habitat conservation:

• continue to expand cooperation in regional, bilateral and trilateral activities
• continue to participate in and support collaborative initiatives including, but not limited to, the Migratory Birds Working Table at the Trilateral Committee, the North American Bird Conservation Initiative, the North American Waterfowl Management Plan, the Commission on Environmental Cooperation, and Joint Ventures
• work cooperatively to seek mechanisms to improve communication and coordination with departments, agencies and organizations throughout the Western Hemisphere
• work with other countries in the Western Hemisphere to develop a shared vision and strategy for migratory bird conservation in the Americas over the next 100 years

Expected results

The North American Bird Conservation Initiative in Canada (NABCI), the United States of America, and Mexico have partnered to develop a Vision for Bird Conservation for the Next Century. Through this Vision, priorities and collaborative opportunities for bird conservation will be identified and implemented. NABCI hopes to expand its partnership beyond North America through this Vision or by collaborating on other initiatives throughout the Western Hemisphere.

The Vision for the next century is that bird populations and ecosystems are healthy throughout the Western Hemisphere, because:

• clean air, clean water, and sustainable food and habitats meet the needs of birds and people
• people recognize the value of healthy natural environments
• all parts of society are committed to conservation, with governments, non-government organizations, the private sector, and citizens working together

Canada’s involvement

Through its renewal and reaffirmation of tri-national efforts to collaborate on the conservation, protection, and restoration of migratory birds and their habitats in North America, Canada demonstrates its commitment to addressing the conservation issues faced by migratory birds and to maximizing the effectiveness of actions by various stakeholders. Bird conservation actions can best be coordinated through the integration of activities from various jurisdictional levels, as well as those of other sectors such as watershed management and sustainable development projects. In this manner, bird conservation benefits from the institutional and financial resources and the political support of related efforts.

Results / progress

Activities

The Vision for Bird Conservation for the Next Century (PDF) was developed jointly with NABCI in Canada, the United States of America, and Mexico and was finalized in June 2017. The Vision was signed on December 2, 2017 by both the United States and Canada. The next steps for the Vision is for the NABCI partnership identify national and tri-national actions in order to create a plan to implement the Vision in a concrete manner.

The various partnerships for bird conservation implementation continue to be active. Since the signature of the LOI in 2016, the Trilateral Committee’s Migratory Birds Working Table, the North American Bird Conservation Initiative, the North American Waterfowl Management Plan, the Commission on Environmental Cooperation, and the Joint Ventures continue to be active and engaging in bird conservation activities in Canada.

In addition, Canada has been an active participant in the Americas Flyways Framework Task Force to expand the Vision for Bird Conservation for the Next Century throughout the Western Hemisphere.

Reports

The Vision for Bird Conservation for the Next Century (PDF) can be found on the NABCI Canada website.

Results

The publication of the Vision for Bird Conservation for the Next Century, as well as the active bird conservation partnerships assists Environment and Climate Change Canada in fulfilling its pledge to continue its efforts to collaborate on the conservation, protection, and restoration of migratory birds and their habitats in North America. The Vision outlines a broad set collaborative goals to achieve bird populations and ecosystems that are healthy throughout the Western Hemisphere.

In 2022, Canada, US and Mexico endorsed a Letter of Intent between the three countries to renew and strengthen efforts to collaborate on the conservation and restoration of grasslands and grassland bird populations in North America. This Letter of Intent committed the Agencies involved from the three countries to expand cooperation in regional, bilateral, and trilateral activities in support of grassland habitat conservation and restoration.