Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), Chairman of the Environment and Public Works Water and Wildlife Subcommittee, has introduced bipartisan legislation to boost funding for the conservation of migratory birds.
“Maryland's natural treasure, our environment, is a lure for millions of human tourists and avian visitors each year. For nearly a decade, federal investment in habitat protection, education, research and monitoring of neotropical migratory birds has been vital to the well-being of our ecosystem and our economy,” said Senator Cardin.
The Senate bill, S. 690, reauthorizes the existing Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act (NMBCA), but at significantly higher levels, to meet the growing needs of migrants, many of which are in rapid decline.
“This legislation is urgently needed to prevent America's native birds from disappearing,” said Darin Schroeder, American Bird Conservancy's Vice President of Conservation Advocacy. “Nearly half of our songbird population is now in decline or facing serious threats; effective conservation projects can help us to start turning that around.”
Of the 178 continental bird species included on American Bird Conservancy's WatchList of birds of highest conservation concern, over one-third, 71 species, are Neotropical migrants. The populations of an estimated 127 species of migratory birds are in persistent decline, and 60 species have experienced significant population declines greater than 45% over the last 40 years. Several species, the Cerulean Warbler and Olive-sided Flycatcher, have declined as much as 70% since surveys began in the 1960s.
“Senator Cardin has been a champion of Maryland's environment for many years,” said Schroeder. “This vital legislation recognizes that Maryland's migratory birds, including species like the Baltimore Oriole, Kentucky Warbler and Whip-poor-will, require our help if to ensure that they continue to thrive. We applaud the Senator for his leadership on this critical local and national conservation issue.”
