Joint Ventures

Joint ventures (JVs) were initially formed to implement the North American Waterfowl Management Plan in the late 1980s. They are regional partnerships involving federal, state, and local government agencies, corporations, tribes, individuals, and a wide range of non-governmental organizations which advance conservation efforts and help identify local land use priorities. JVs provide coordination for conservation planning and implementation that benefit birds and other species. JVs develop science-based goals and strategies, and a non-regulatory approach for achieving conservation.

Integrated bird conservation, sometimes referred to as "all-bird" conservation, is an approach that incorporates the species and habitat conservation priorities of several bird initiatives (including the North American Waterfowl Management Plan, Partners in Flight, the U.S. Shorebird Conservation Plan, and the North American Waterbird Conservation Plan) at regional and local scales. The JVs advance a science-based process of conservation planning and evaluation that addresses the needs of all priority bird species for a given region, facilitates participation by a broad array of stakeholders, and provides efficient and effective strategies for action.

Joint ventures were initially focused exclusively on waterfowl conservation, but have since broadened their scope and partnerships to advance integrated conservation for all species of birds in all habitats. These initiatives and other conservation interests now acknowledge that JVs serve as models of partner-based conservation and advocate using JVs as delivery agents for bird habitat conservation in all areas of the United States.

JVs are unique in their ability to provide conservation partners with useful products of strategic conservation planning, such as population goals and quantitative habitat objectives, science-based strategies for achieving desired results, conservation alternatives prioritized by their of likelihood of success, and evaluation measures to gauge results and improve performance. The collaborative approach used by Joint Ventures to prepare and implement their conservation plans fosters consensus among individual agencies and organizations, and allows individual partners to integrate their programs and objectives into a broader effort. By harmonizing the efforts of individual partners, joint ventures promote efficient use of available resources and secure collective conservation impacts that exceed the sum of what partners could accomplish alone.