Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act at Risk of Being Defunded

With Congress looking for major funding cuts this year, we have learned that there will be an effort to cut all funding for the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act..

In the last Congress, Representatives Ron Kind (D-WI) and Jim Gerlach (R-PA) introduced a bill H.R. 2213 to reauthorize the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act (NMBCA). Unfortunately this effort fell short when the Senate failed to take action on an omnibus conservation bill. NMBCA is one of the most important pieces of legislation for the funding of migratory bird conservation. It provides millions of dollars in matching, competitive grants for monitoring, habitat restoration, education, and other projects in the United States, Canada, Latin America, and the Caribbean.

Approximately 500 of the nearly 800 bird species in the United States are migratory birds. Hemisphere-wide habitat loss due to deforestation and development, as well as human created hazards, threaten the survival of these neotropical migrants. Conservation efforts are crucial, and the Act is a vital source of funding to sustain them.

American Bird Conservancy (ABC) and a coalition of Bird Conservation Alliance (BCA) member organizations and other groups are working to protect the NMBCA from being defunded.We need the support of your organization, birding group, or coalition. Help us protect the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act. Your organization can pledge its support today. To view a list of organizations that have pledged support so far, click here.