WASHINGTON (October 5, 2022) — This week, Congressman Ron Form and Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar launched H.R. 9135, the Migratory Birds of the Americas Conservation Enhancements Act, within the Home of Representatives. This bipartisan invoice will improve the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act (NMBCA), an progressive and cost-effective method to the conservation of the greater than 350 neotropical chicken species within the U.S. that journey to Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Canada yearly, such because the Scarlet Tanager, Purple Martin, and Blackburnian Warbler.
A companion invoice was introduced by Senators Ben Cardin and Rob Portman earlier this yr.
“Migratory birds transcend nationwide borders, which is why we’d like a hemispheric method to conservation,” stated Marshall Johnson, chief conservation officer on the Nationwide Audubon Society. “Three billion birds have been misplaced since 1970, and the identical elements that threaten them additionally threaten our personal communities. This invoice will assist present the investments we have to shield the locations that each birds and folks must survive.”
NMBCA helps the conservation of chicken habitat in addition to analysis, monitoring, outreach, and training. As an identical grant program, it catalyzes funding from a variety of sources past the U.S. authorities. Since 2000, the U.S. has invested $80 million which has sparked a further $310 million in matching funds from public-private partnerships. These funds have supported 658 tasks in 36 Latin American and Caribbean international locations, 40 U.S. states and territories, and provinces and territories throughout Canada.
Each spring, hundreds of thousands of birds journey hundreds of miles from Latin America and the Caribbean to their breeding grounds within the U.S. and Canada, as far north because the Arctic. As winter approaches, these migratory birds make the lengthy journey again south. Aside from being among the many most gorgeous and awe-inspiring species loved by birdwatchers, these greater than 300 species of birds are additionally economically vital for his or her function in pest management, seed dispersal, pollination for agriculture, and ecotourism. Within the U.S., the Fish and Wildlife Service estimates there are 45 million birdwatchers, producing an financial output of $96 billion.
About Audubon
The Nationwide Audubon Society protects birds and the locations they want, right now and tomorrow. Audubon works all through the Americas utilizing science, advocacy, training, and on-the-ground conservation. State packages, nature facilities, chapters, and companions give Audubon an unparalleled wingspan that reaches hundreds of thousands of individuals every year to tell, encourage, and unite numerous communities in conservation motion. A nonprofit conservation group since 1905, Audubon believes in a world wherein folks and wildlife thrive. Be taught extra at www.audubon.org and on Fb, Twitter and Instagram @audubonsociety.
Media Contacts:
Megan Moriarty, megan.moriarty@audubon.org
