| A Brief History
The IBA program was initiated in Europe in the mid-1980’s by BirdLife
International. To date, some 7000 IBAs have been identified in 130 countries.
The program came to the United States in 1995, administered by the National
Audubon Society. Currently, about 46 states have IBA programs, with some 1500
sites identified. IBAs have been officially adopted as key components of the North
American Bird Conservation Initiative (NABCI), the North
American Waterbird Conservation Plan (NAWCP), the U.S.
Shorebird Conservation Plan (USSCP), and the Partners
in Flight (PIF) Strategic Plan.
What is an IBA?
An Important Bird Area (IBA) is a site that provides essential habitat to one
or more species of breeding or non-breeding birds. Sites may vary in size, but
are usually discrete and distinguishable in character, habitat, or ornithological
importance from surrounding areas. They may include public or private land. Site
boundaries may be either natural (rivers, watersheds) or human-made (roads, property
boundaries). In general, an IBA should exist as an actual or potential protected
area, with or without buffer zones, or should have the potential to be managed
in some way for birds and general nature conservation. An IBA, whenever possible,
should be large enough to supply all or most of the requirements of the bird(s)
during the season for which it is important.
IBAs are identified using objective, standardized, science-based criteria.
To qualify as an IBA, a site must support:
- species of conservation concern (e.g., endangered or threatened species)
- species that are vulnerable because they are not widely distributed
- species that are vulnerable because their populations are concentrated in
one general habitat type
- species that are vulnerable because they congregate together for breeding,
feeding, or migration
These criteria are applied hierarchically and defined at different levels.
An IBA might, therefore, be important at the global level, at a continental or
regional level (the U.S., Mexico, and Canada), at the national level, or at the
state level. A site at any one of these levels is a valid component of the IBA
program. State-level criteria have been developed for Wisconsin.
To learn more about the IBA program at the national and international levels,
please visit these links:
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The IBA Program in Wisconsin
Here in Wisconsin, the IBA program is being implemented as a part of the overall
strategy of the Wisconsin
Bird Conservation Initiative (WBCI). Sites may be nominated by anyone—private
citizens, public land managers, groups, etc. A technical committee composed of
bird experts from around the state will review the nominations and rank potential
sites in order of conservation priority. Once a site is recognized as an Important
Bird Area, the IBA program will work with stakeholders and interested parties
to develop and coordinate plans for management on the site. The recognition of
a site does not confer any legal or regulatory status, and is entirely voluntary
on the part of landowners and land managers. The IBA program takes a cooperative
approach and relies on voluntary, grassroots participation to meet its goals.
The primary goals of the IBA program in Wisconsin are:
- To identify, nominate, and recognize key sites that contribute to the protection
of significant bird populations or communities
- To coordinate and assist in the management and/or protection of these sites
for long-term conservation of birds and their habitats
- To provide information that will help land managers evaluate areas for habitat
management and/or land protection
- To activate public and private participation in bird conservation efforts
- To provide public education and community outreach opportunities
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