The Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act: A Colombian Perspective

Neotropical migrants are facing a difficult future. Their wintering and stopover habitats in Latin America and the Caribbean are being lost at an accelerating pace, driven by the needs of a rapidly expanding human population, and the new demand for biofuels.

Cerulean Warbler. Photo: Barth Schorre

The lush, humid subtropical forests and shade coffee plantations of the Colombian Andes form a crucial wintering area for several dozen migratory species. Sadly, this ecosystem has been devastated, with over 90% of forests already lost. What little remains is highly fragmented and still being cleared. This situation is exacerbated across Colombia by the wholesale conversion of traditional shade coffee farms to sun varieties that grow without the shade of canopy trees, a change that has probably been the principal factor in the precipitous decline of the Cerulean Warbler and several other Neotropical migrants. Suitable habitat and food resources are critical for migrants to survive their amazing migrations, and we are jeopardizing both.

Since 2002, Fundación ProAves has received three major grants provided through the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act (NMBCA) to establish and sustain a network of 36 bird monitoring stations across Colombia. These stations have been instrumental in gathering information that is critical in directing conservation actions for birds. For example, ProAves has identified the threats to a host of resident and migratory birds, and we have worked with our partners to address those threats using a variety of conservation tools, from developing sustainable alternatives for local communities to setting up the largest private bird reserve network in the tropics.

NMBCA support has catalyzed our development of partnerships with U.S. organizations such as American Bird Conservancy. It has helped efforts to gain new insights into the threats facing Neotropical migrants, and has been central in developing creative ways to address those threats. In 2005, analysis of the distribution of Cerulean Warblers by ProAves and American Bird Conservancy staff identified two key wintering stronghold areas in semi-humid intermontane valleys of the northern Andes.

Subsequently, thanks to NMBCA, ProAves and American Bird Conservancy have been able to launch a variety of significant conservation initiatives, including establishing the Cerulean Warbler Bird Reserve—the first reserve specifically established for a Neotropical migrant landbird in South America. Our partnership has also resulted in the production of Cerulean Warbler Conservation Coffee that helps support ProAves’ activities (available online through Thanksgiving Coffee at http://store.thanksgivingcoffee.com/abc), planting of over 70,000 trees that the Cerulean Warbler depends upon in both coffee plantations and pasturelands, and much more. With American Bird Conservancy, ProAves is now establishing the Cerulean Warbler Conservation Corridor that employs a diverse array of conservation actions, including community outreach, ecological easements, and monitoring, to address threats across a diverse landscape.

Incredibly, NMBCA remains the one of the very few significant funding sources specifically dedicated to bird conservation in Latin America! As a new generation of bird conservationists and organizations emerge across Latin America, NMBCA support will be crucial in continuing to inspire actions that conserve migratory birds, and ensuring a legacy for future generations across the hemisphere. It is therefore tremendously encouraging that there is a move in the U.S. Congress to reauthorize NMBC at significantly higher funding levels.

All U.S. citizens can help make this reauthorization a reality by visiting ABC’s Act for Songbirds web pages. With just a few clicks, you can let your Congressional Representatives know just how important the Act is for bird conservation in Colombia and the rest of Latin America. Please visit www.abcbirds.org/action, and Act for Songbirds today!

—Sara Ines Lara, Executive Director, Fundación ProAves