Latin America and the Caribbean have experienced rapid economic growth in recent years, and global demand for natural resources and a changing climate will bring unprecedented changes to how people in those areas live. If conservation efforts are not well-integrated into the region’s development, it will have a devastating effect on the local ecology, and will limit the possibility of sustainable economic growth and improved quality of life for its people. At stake is more than 40 percent of the world’s biodiversity, including more than 4,200 species of birds. At least 380 of these bird species are neotropical migrants shared with the United States that spend half or more of their entire lives in Latin America and the Caribbean.

In the face of these challenges, Audubon’s International Alliances Program works closely with local partners to conserve key bird habitats in Latin America and the Caribbean. This enables Audubon to create the full lifecycle stewardship essential for saving migratory species. Audubon’s initial focus on 37 target neotropical migrant bird species  serves as an umbrella for the conservation of hundreds of other migratory and local birds and a rich diversity of flora and fauna that share the same habitats. Further, Audubon’s work deeply integrates societal, economic and biodiversity needs to stem the loss of bird species and biodiversity while improving the quality of life for people. Through this approach Audubon envisions that:

Key migratory bird populations shared between North America, Latin America and the Caribbean and the ecosystems that they rely upon are viable and stable, benefiting the well-being of birds and people, through a balance between conservation and development.

 

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