Adult Boreal Chickadee. Calgary Birder/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

Audubon at COP15

Biodiversity loss is a serious concern around the world. The planet has lost an estimated 3 billion birds in North America alone since 1970. For migratory birds, the places they need extend throughout the Americas and around the globe. That is why Audubon has expanded its work in recent years to take a hemispheric approach to conservation, implementing new strategies in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Canada.       

It is also why we are attending the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP-15) taking place in Montreal, Canada December 7–19, 2022. This event gives us an opportunity to engage in the global conversation on the biodiversity crisis and lend our expertise as we all push towards a solution together.

Below, you will find links to reports, articles, blogs, and other relevant content that demonstrates the growing need for our work, including nature-based climate solutions and support for Indigenous-led conservation, in an effort to combat the dual crises of biodiversity loss and climate change throughout the western hemisphere.

Listening to the Birds

Join us for this event streaming live from COP15 on Saturday, December 17 at 11:30am ET.

Indigenous knowledge is being combined with new sound recording and analyses technology to learn more about birds in proposed and existing Indigenous Protected Areas across the Boreal Forest in Canada.  The Seal River Watershed Alliance (SRWA), an Indigenous organization made up of 4 First Nations, is working toward the conservation of the 50,000 km2 Seal River Watershed of northern Manitoba. In collaboration with the National Audubon Society, the SRWA started a project in 2021 to begin collecting bird inventory data with sound recording units. The Poplar River First Nation, one of 4 First Nations that established the Pimachiowin Aki World Heritage Site, has been carrying out a similar collaboration since 2016. The Deninu Kue First Nation began an acoustic monitoring project in the Slave River Delta and Taltson River Delta of the Northwest Territories in 2021. These initiatives show that the co-production of research between Indigenous organizations and NGOs can be a win-win for conservation.

Watch on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/nationalaudubon.

Americas Flyways Alliance

Join us next Friday, December 16, at 10:00 a.m. EST, in the announcement of the Americas Flyways Alliance, led by Audubon, BirdLife International and CAF - Development Bank of Latin America, which represents an unprecedented investment in bird and biodiversity conservation in Latin America and the Caribbean. The initiative will identify over thirty critical landscapes and seascapes along the Americas flyways for urgent conservation, restoration, and management by local partners, communities, and indigenous peoples.

Watch the video of this exciting announcement: https://www.audubon.org/news/americas-flyways-initiative 

Climate

Climate change is by far the biggest threat to birds. That’s why Audubon works for solutions to counteract the effects of climate change and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. From community science observations to in-depth research from our staff scientists, Audubon applies its cutting-edge science in conservation, mitigation, and adaptation efforts across the western hemisphere.

Survival by Degrees: 389 Bird Species on the Brink
Survival by Degrees: 389 Bird Species on the Brink

Read Audubon's new climate report, which finds that two-thirds of North American birds are at increasing risk of extinction from global temperature rise. Find out how species in your state will be affected, and which birds we can help by acting now.

Boreal Conservation

Our Boreal Conservation program is a key part of Audubon’s total-flyway conservation vision that focuses applied science to ensure that bird conservation efforts are initiated at the places and at the scales necessary to protect birds throughout their full lifecycles. The Boreal Forest is one of the largest intact forests left on Earth and is rich in biodiversity. Caribou, bears, wolves, lynxes and wolverines, and countless other species thrive in the boreal in numbers rarely seen elsewhere. And each year, up to 5 billion birds pour out of the forest and fly south to backyards, parks, and wildlands throughout the Western Hemisphere. Our work in the Boreal is aimed at elevating public support for initiatives such as the Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas program and Indigenous Guardians programs across Canada.

Latin America and the Caribbean

Audubon is taking a hemispheric approach to conservation and broadening our focus to protecting birds and the places they need throughout their entire life cycles with Audubon Americas.  In Latin America and the Caribbean, we have an ambitious plan to address conservation shortfalls by applying Audubon’s conservation expertise and regional experience in innovative new ways. Over the next five years, we are targeting 10 million hectares (25 million acres) of prime ecosystems that are important for priority birds and wildlife, and human well-being.

Chile, the country of birds
Whimbrel
Chile, the country of birds

Javiera Ferreyra, Audubon Américas Chile director, shares her vision of the country's bird species and habitat richness. This text was initially published by Plataforma Costera.

Conserva Aves, protecting territories of life
Andean Motmot.
Conserva Aves, protecting territories of life

The Conserva Aves Initiative is an unprecedented alliance for the creation and sustainable management of subnational protected areas that benefit not only migratory and local birds, but biodiversity in 9 Latin American countries.

Audubon Leadership and Staff at COP15

Elizabeth GrayChief Executive Officer and Ex Officio Board Director

Jane Alexander, Board Director, actress,  and wildlife advocate 

Marshall JohnsonChief Conservation Officer

Aurelio RamosSenior Vice President, Audubon Americas

Allison Vogt, Chief of Staff

Jeff WellsVice President, Boreal Conservation

Rebecca Sentner, Senior Manager, Boreal Conservation

Carrie Gray, Boreal Conservation Specialist