© Pete Saloutos/Panoramic Images (Maine Title Image Large)
Maine Audubon Important Bird Areas
© Heather Perry Maine Audubon Important Bird Areas Image
In September 2001, Maine Audubon, together with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, initiated an Important Bird Areas (IBA) Program that will identify and prioritize the most important areas for bird conservation in Maine. Maine Audubon will then help plan for the conservation and management of these bird-rich areas.
Part of a global initiative by BirdLife International, Important Bird Area Programs began in the late 1980s to identify and conserve high-priority bird habitat.
Thousands of IBAs have been identified in over 100 countries around the globe, which has helped promote much-needed conservation action. In the mid 1990s, the first U.S. IBA Programs were launched in Pennsylvania and New York, and there are now over 30 states engaged in the process.
A vital element of the Maine IBA Program is involving volunteers in all phases of development, from nominating and inventorying sites to long-term monitoring and assisting with management efforts. Through this kind of involvement, volunteers will become the voices in their communities for bird conservation and sound stewardship of IBAs.