Boreal Birds of North America: a hemispheric view of their conservation links and significance.

The western boreal forest (WBF) is the second most important duck breeding area in North America. Once thought to be relatively pristine, WBF habitat is undergoing rapid change due to industrial activity (e.g., commercial forestry, oil and gas exploration/extraction, agricultural expansion) and climate change. Our understanding of waterfowl in the WBF is limited and thus the effects of these human-caused habitat alterations on waterfowl populations are largely unknown. A better understanding of the spatial scale, permanency, and intensity of habitat change at which carrying capacity becomes reduced will help differentiate between real and perceived threats, which is critical for further focusing conservation. Maintaining the ability of boreal landscapes to sustain waterfowl populations in perpetuity, however, will require interdisciplinary collaboration. Ultimately, conservation activities will take place within a complex ecological and socioeconomic landscape, which will require a strong commitment from all stakeholders, including industry, First Nations, governments, academics, and NGOs, to achieving conservation of boreal landscapes that encompass wetlands and other waterfowl habitat. In this paper, we review the status and population trends of duck populations in the WBF, review threats to carrying capacity, and provide an initial conceptual framework for science-based conservation of WBF ducks.

Slattery, S.M., J.L. Morissette, G.G. Mack, and E.W. Butterworth. 2011. Waterfowl conservation planning: science needs and approaches. Pages 23-40 in J.V. Wells, ed. Boreal Birds of North America: a hemispheric view of their conservation links and significance. University of California Press, Berkeley, USA.

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