Leading with Solutions that Center Birds and People at Climate Week

What’s good for birds is good for people and the planet. That was Audubon’s guiding message during this year’s Climate Week in New York. The annual global platform for climate action sees thousands of leaders gather for conferences, meetings, and events throughout the city, concurrent with the annual meeting at the United Nations. As a leader in conservation for 120 years, Audubon highlighted how we can collaboratively make progress on climate change and biodiversity loss while halting and ultimately reversing bird population declines, or “bending the bird curve.”

On the global stage, a key outcome from this year’s U.N. General Assembly was the announcement of dozens of 2035 climate targets (“nationally determined contributions”) during the Climate Summit hosted by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterrez. The ambition of the announced targets varied, something reflected in Secretary General Guterrez’s remarks that November’s COP30 “must conclude with a credible global response plan to get us on track.”

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva also made a groundbreaking announcement that Brazil will invest the first $1 billion in the Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF). TFFF represents one of the greatest global opportunities to secure long-term financing for tropical and subtropical forests that many birds depend on. Audubon’s science shows that forests play a vital role as carbon sinks and climate strongholds for birds. Continued forest health is also critical for the well-being of more than a billion people globally.

Grasslands are also important climate strongholds—and the most endangered ecosystem in the U.S., as Audubon’s Director of Natural Climate Solutions Strategy Meghan Ryan explained during the Hub Live session Our Most Natural Lever – Are We Ready for a Regenerative World? “We’re losing them at a rate of 1–2 million acres a year,” she said, “and with that loss has come a decline in grassland birds.” Meghan joined Matt Maier, Owner of Thousand Hills Lifetime Grazed, to spotlight the Audubon Conservation Ranching program as a model for nature-based regeneration that benefits grassland birds while also offering ecological and economic gains.

Maier rejuvenated his family farm, which had suffered under monoculture and unsustainable practices, to achieve a recovery in soil, wildlife, and the water cycle. “Nature is so resilient,” said Maier. “In five years you can make a whole bunch of progress.”

Audubon Conservation Ranching is one example of how community-driven restoration can protect bird habitat, store and sequester carbon, and improve human well-being. This “win-win-win” approach to conservation planning was the focus of Audubon’s Main Stage session at The Nest Climate Campus at the Javits Center, Triple Win Conservation: Birds, Climate, and Communities.

Brooke Bateman, Audubon’s Senior Director of Climate & Community Science, presented on a new study in Scientific Reports that provides a decision-making framework for identifying areas where conservation efforts address climate while also benefiting birds and people. “By addressing all three of these factors together, instead of separately, we increase the likelihood of conservation success on all fronts and engage local communities that have the most at stake,” she explained.

Chad Wilsey, Audubon’s Vice President & Chief Scientist, moderated a panel discussion with Brooke Bateman as well as Gabe Watson, Manager of Data Science & Applications at the Environmental Policy Innovation Center, and Daniel Suarez, Director of Conservation at Audubon Great Lakes. “We're all in this together,” said Watson. “We have to think about this holistically. We don’t have the privilege to work in silos. These maps show us where we need to be doing more work.”

Suarez, who has been working with Audubon Great Lakes to restore wetland bird habitat in Gary, Indiana, said “We're trying to look at the project through a variety of lenses, not just ecological but cultural, social, economic, agricultural, to realize a project that delivers not just for birds but for people.”

Successfully implementing these kinds of climate solutions means working with partners internationally and locally. One morning, Audubon joined NYC Bird Alliance and BirdLife International for a co-hosted bird outing in Central Park’s Ramble. Led by Dustin Partridge, PhD, and Tod Winston, participants observed migratory birds while discussing ways to get involved—from community science opportunities to global advocacy and conservation initiatives—and how each organization is working to address climate and biodiversity challenges to ensure a brighter future for both birds and people.

Throughout Climate Week, visitors to Times Square could see what is likely the largest hummingbird on Earth on a 10,000-square-foot digital billboard. Featuring colossal, iridescent birds and powerful messaging, this display offered millions of New Yorkers and visitors a striking moment of wonder. The invitation was to learn more about Audubon’s mission and reflect on how “it all begins with birds,” underscoring that birds are central messengers in the fight against climate change.

Because they live in nearly every habitat, what science tells us about how birds respond to a changing climate has implications for us all. This Climate Week, we were able to work with our partners toward achieving a better future for people and wildlife—from the community level to the wider world. We look forward to building on that momentum.