Priority conservation themes, objectives and actions

Theme 1: Evaluate impacts of overabundant geese populations on Arctic shorebird habitat and implement appropriate mitigation measures

Objective 1. Understand the expansion of white geese populations in Arctic shorebird habitat

• • Action 1: Understand impacts of populations of white geese on other bird species in western Canada
  • Action 2: Understand trends in the populations of white geese in Alaska and their impacts on shorebird breeding habitats

Objective 2. Mitigate effects of over-abundant white geese populations on shorebird habitat

• • Action 1: Implement management actions resulting from study of white geese impacts in Canada (undertaken as part of AMBI Phase 1)

Objective 3. Ensure Indigneous Knowledge is incorporated into white geese impacts research and mitigation measures

• • Action 1: Continue to include Indigneous Knowledge in future work through co-development of management priorities for white geese

Theme 2: Identification of climate resilient shorebird breeding and wintering habitat

Objective 4. Determine climate change resilient areas of shorebird habitat and promote their protection

• • Action 1: Carry out an analysis of the resilience of shorebird wintering habitat to climate change
  • Action 2: Promote protection of climate change resilient shorebird breeding, wintering and migration habitats

Theme 3: Reduce shorebird habitat impairment from human intrusions, disturbances, destruction and degradation

Objective 5. Mitigate habitat impairment from human intrusions and disturbances

• • Action 1: Support efforts to develop policies and legislation to ensure the sustainability of legal hunting of shorebirds in North and South America
  • Action 2: Promote studies that assess the prevalence and impacts of plastic contamination in shorebird populations in the Arctic
  • Action 3: Work with communities and governments to assess and identify critical threats for priority species on designated WHSRN and IBA sites

Objective 6. Mitigate habitat impairment from destruction and degradation of coastal habitats and productive landscapes

• • Action 1: Evaluate the impacts of habitat loss and degradation from agriculture, aquaculture, renewable energy production and tourism development on shorebirds and their habitats in Latin America
  • Action 2: Ensure mitigation measures are incorporated into development decisions
  • Action 3: Designate important sites under appropriate international conservation frameworks (e.g. Ramsar Convention, WHSRN, World Heritage)
  • Action 4: Work with communities and governments to protect important sites

Theme 4: Flyway Planning and Implementation

Objective 7. Contribute to the implementation and development of regional flyway initiatives

• • Action 1: Promote and support the implementation of regional strategies and flyway initiatives
  • Action 2: Encourage/coordinate the development of an American Mid-continental Flyway strategy

Priority species in the 2019-2025 work plan

Red knot (spp. rufa and roselaari)	Semipalmated sandpiper (Calidris pusilla)
Buff-breasted Sandpiper (Calidris subruficollis)	Red Phalarope (Phalaropus fulicarius)
Red-necked Phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus)

Americas Flyways: Crosswalk and Implementation Plan

The aim of the crosswalk exercise was to analyze how program objectives of AMBI align with existing initiatives in the region. This includeed, but was not limited to, national biodiversity strategies, international conventions, regional frameworks, national shorebird conservation action plans and any other relevant documents that deal with similar topics.

Specifically, for the purpose of AMBI, a document and tool were created to show regional and national partners within the Americas how supporting and implementing AMBI would help address existing priorities. This extended to both specific countries within AMBI focal regions where conservations actions were deemed to have the most benefit, and regional initiatives overlapping with AMBI focal areas.

• AMBI Americas Implementation Strategy
• AMBI: Americas Flyway Crosswalk Summary Results (PDF) Americas Flyway Crosswalk Summary Results
• AMBI Americas crosswalk (Excel)

Partners and support

In addition to AMBI steering group member countries and organizations, elements of the AMBI Americas flyway has received financial support from the UNEP Regional Office of North America and the Commission for Environmental Cooperation of North America.