Shorebird Conservation Project

Specific objectives of the program are to: 1) protect mangrove and associated mudflat habitats by implementing priority conservation actions identified in the control and surveillance programs of management plans developed by local crabbing associations, 2) strengthen local capacity for natural resource management by providing technical assistance to improve control and surveillance programs, 3) improve governance among crabbing associations to comply with the goals of management plans, 4) improve the knowledge of mangrove habitat as critical area for biodiversity conservation and maintenance of ecosystem services among crabbing association members, and 4) promote the development of economic activities around ecotourism to conserve critical habitats. Aves y Conservación was selected to receive this award based on unique qualifications due to more than a decade of work with private companies and local communities to find conservation solutions for shorebirds and other waterbirds along the coast of Ecuador. Since 2015, they have been working directly with three crabbing associations (6 de Julio, Balao and Nuevo Porvenir) in southwest Ecuador to achieve conservation of mangroves, mudflats and shorebirds while providing for local livelihoods. They have also successfully worked with municipalities and salt-producing companies to achieve shorebird conservation. Working with local communities to solve conservation issues is a cornerstone of Aves y Conservación⿿s approach to the conservation and sustainable use of mangroves in Ecuador and aligns with Secretarial Priority #3: Restoring trust with our local communities. Development of effective management mangrove plans with local communities, including monitoring and evaluation of their implementation, will secure the economic welfare of thousands of families and thousands of migratory shorebirds that inhabit the Gulf of Guayaquil. This project address Secretarial Priority #1: Creating a conservation stewardship legacy second only to Teddy Roosevelt as it promotes natural resource conservation (mangrove ecosystems) through sustainable use (local subsistence concessions) with the benefit of conserving habitat for migratory shorebirds. Funding for this project is provided under the authority of the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956, as amended, 16 U.S.C. 742a-754; Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act of 1958, 16 U.S.C. 661-667(e); Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, 16 U.S.C. 2901-2911; the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, 16 U.S.C. 709a, and the Department of State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2017.