Important Bird Areas

History

The IBA program was initiated by Birdlife International in Europe in the 1980s. In 1995 in the United States, the American Bird Conservancy launched their program identifying globally important sites in each state and the National Audubon Society began their effort to identify state-significant sites in each state. See these linked websites for more information and the details of each program. In Oregon, the American Bird Conservancy selected globally important sites in the late 1990s, and the Audubon Society of Portland initiated the identification of sites of statewide significance in 2002. While the programs are largely independent, there is some overlap and every attempt is made to share information and cooperate in the identification and conservation of sites (more history on the two programs).

Process

Recognition of IBAs in different states and countries may or may not involve a public nomination process (it does in Oregon), but the remainder of the process is generally consistent among all entities. Criteria are developed by a group of regional experts and used to evaluate sites. Criteria usually focus on 1) the presence of significant numbers of rare, endangered, or vulnerable species, 2) high numbers of non-pest species, and 3) outstanding representatives of relatively rare ecosystems. Criteria developed for Oregon IBAs generally follow this pattern.

Legal Status

Land owners and managers sometimes ask if there is any legal status of Important Bird Areas or any requirements for management. The answer is no. The IBA program seeks to recognize important sites in order to encourage conservation and maintenance of the productivity of the site. There are no legal requirements for particular management of IBAs. The hope is simply that the owners and managers will continue to manage the site for its avian values, and that recognition as an IBA may even generate support for management or maintenance of the site.

Conservation Context

Oregon's Important Bird Area program seeks to recognize sites of outstanding importance to birds in the state. An effort such as this must formulate criteria and set thresholds to limit the number of qualifying sites. The resulting list is expected to include most of the top sites important to Oregon's birds, but necessarily excludes many sites that are very important on a local basis. The absence of a site on the IBA list does not imply that the site is not important, it simply indicates that the site does not meet the criteria formulated by the Technical Advisory Committee, or perhaps the site just has not yet been nominated! Many sites of local importance will not be recognized by this particular state-level program.

The IBA program by itself will not ensure the continued productivity of selected sites and certainly cannot by itself gaurantee continued avian diversity throughout the state. Most species of birds are at least partially migratory, and most of the waterfowl and shorebirds and seabirds visiting Oregon's IBAs are highly migratory, or at least make extensive flights between the recognized IBAs and other areas. In all cases, avian diversity and the conservation of rare species will require efforts beginning at broad scales (e.g., western states, Oregon, and ecoregions). The Important Bird Area program will be most successful operated in the context of and in connection with these broader-scale plans. We hope that, with these other programs, the IBA effort will contribute to the long-term conservation of Oregon's avifauna.