Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy: Departmental Website Component of the 2012-2013 Report on Plans and Priorities

The goal of the Migratory Birds (MB) program is to ensure that migratory bird populations are maintained at healthy levels. To meet this goal, activities focus on the protection and conservation of populations to meet our national and international obligations, and support sustainable socio-economic benefits for Canadians. The program has several pillars, from managing legislation and regulations, to protecting and conserving habitat, identifying and mitigating threats and influencing those whose actions on the landscape affect migratory birds. Because of the migratory nature of birds, the MB program is heavily dependent on partnerships with other countries and other governments.

Performance expectations:

• Evaluations of the status of all Canadian bird species are underway and baseline values and targets will be established in 2012. Population goals may include either population size and/or trend.

Environment Canada’s Canadian Wildlife Service is leading the development of bird conservation plans in 12 ecoregion-based planning units. The plans identify priority species, their population objectives, threats and conservation objectives/recommended actions, both within Canada and abroad. The plans will be an important tool in guiding Environment Canada’s migratory birds program and in informing the actions of conservation partners.

The Bird Conservation Region (BCR) plans contribute to FSDS targets 5.2, 6.1 and 6.3.

Performance expectations:

• 100% of the 12 Bird Conservation Regions (BCR) will have up-to-date BCR Plans posted on the Environment Canada's website by fall 2012.

Wildlife enforcement officers enforce Canadian wildlife legislation which protects plant and animal species in Canada including migratory birds. Canadian wildlife protection legislation is also aimed at conserving threatened or potentially threatened species nationally and internationally. These laws regulate human interventions, such as hunting or trade that could adversely affect long-term wildlife conservation. Wildlife enforcement officers enforce these laws throughout Canada in collaboration with other federal departments, and provincial, territorial governments and national and international agencies and organizations.

In order to more effectively and efficiently fulfill the wildlife protection law enforcement function, a commitment was made in Budget 2007 to increase the complement of enforcement officers in the Department.

Performance expectations:

• Hiring of management cadre within Wildlife Enforcement was completed in Summer/Fall 2010.
• Implementation of the commitment to increase enforcement capacity by 50% is complete.

While the Migratory Birds Regulations, under the Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994, strictly prohibit the harming of migratory birds and the disturbance or destruction of their nests and eggs, many are inadvertently destroyed by activities such as mining, forestry and agriculture, electrical generation and transmission, fishing, management of infrastructure, and urban development. This inadvertent destruction is called “incidental take” and is illegal.

After conducting preliminary consultations, Environment Canada is now focussing efforts on the provision of general avoidance guidelines to help stakeholders assess their risk of affecting migratory birds and enable them to develop operational strategies to avoid the incidental take of migratory birds. Environment Canada is also preparing policies that help the development by sectors of best management practices in support of the conservation of migratory birds.

The provision of information regarding risk of affecting migratory birds and guidance on the development of beneficial management practices will help industries plan their activities in order to meet their obligations towards the environment including migratory bird conservation. This will contribute to maintaining populations of migratory bird species within acceptable bounds.

Performance expectations:

• Pilot project for avoidance advice will be undertaken in one region by 2012.
• Guidance for industry groups on how to develop beneficial management practices that support migratory bird conservation will be available in draft form by winter 2012.

Monitoring and reporting are essential to our understanding of the health of migratory bird populations.

Bird banding is a basic monitoring tool, informing studies that assess the effects of environmental contaminants, protect endangered species and set hunting regulations. Environment Canada administers the North American Bird Banding Program in Canada.

Environment Canada also coordinates two key surveys. Volunteers across Canada have been collecting data for the North American Breeding Bird Survey since 1966. For the National Harvest Survey, the Canadian Wildlife Service engages hunters to establish annual harvesting and hunting estimates. This information determines the amount of hunting each species can sustain.

Environment Canada’s Avian Monitoring Review Steering Committee has prepared summary recommendations for all surveys, and is in the process of completing detailed recommendations for any surveys that require substantial change.

Performance expectations:

• Changes to monitoring programs to reflect the Avian Monitoring Review are being implemented over time.
• A permanent Avian Monitoring Committee will be created to ensure that all monitoring programs are reviewed regularly and that the results are analyzed appropriately and provided to decision makers in a timely manner.

Wildlife enforcement officers enforce Canadian wildlife legislation which protects plant and animal species in Canada including migratory birds. Canadian wildlife protection legislation is also aimed at conserving threatened or potentially threatened species nationally and internationally. These laws regulate human interventions, such as hunting or trade that could adversely affect long-term wildlife conservation. Wildlife enforcement officers enforce these laws throughout Canada in collaboration with other federal departments, and provincial, territorial governments and national and international agencies and organizations.

In order to more effectively and efficiently fulfill the wildlife protection law enforcement function, a commitment was made in Budget 2007 to increase the complement of enforcement officers in the Department.

Performance expectations:

• Implementation of the commitment to increase enforcement capacity by 50% is complete.
• Training for new officers is complete and ongoing to handle regular turnover.

Working with partners in the North American Bird Conservation Initiative (NABCI), Environment Canada coordinates, tracks and implements actions that support conservation objectives for birds. Environment Canada also leads the development of an integrated land-use management strategy.

The Bird Conservation Region (BCR) plans contribute to FSDS targets 5.2, 6.1 and 6.3.

Performance expectations:

• Between 2012–2017, focus on broadening conservation activity by Joint Ventures to continue to extend into non-wetland habitats
• Implement, in partnership with others, priority conservation actions articulated in BCR plans.