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For immediate release
Migratory Shorebird Conservation Expanded
With New Habitat Protection in Panama Bay
-- Critical Way Station for 20,000-mile, Roundtrip, Alaska-to-Argentina Flight
-- First Site in Central America to Join Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN)
Panama City and Manomet, Mass. (Oct. 17, 2005) - Advancing a global commitment to protect shorebirds and their habitats, the Upper Bay of Panama has been designated as the first site in Central America to join the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN)-a network of organizations that work in partnership to protect shorebirds and their habitats.
Formal designation is taking place in Panama City during the peak shorebird migration season, Oct. 15 to 18, with a series of events, including a press conference on Oct. 17. Highlighting the international nature of this designation, guests will include officials from Mexico, Canada and the United States.
Every year, the Upper Bay of Panama is visited by as many as 2 million shorebirds that travel from North America through the Isthmus of Panama and into South America. Hawks, songbirds, and shorebirds provide a spectacle for the Panama Bay, an important feeding and resting place for the migrating birds - many of whom fly the 20,000-mile roundtrip from pole to pole at heights of 20,000 feet. The site is used by more than 30 percent of the world female population of Western Sandpipers and is globally important for at least six other species of shorebirds. Such rich feeding sites are rare and its loss to the birds would result in irreparable damage to shorebird populations.
Based on these high migratory bird counts-and the commitment of the Panamanian National Environmental Authority (ANAM) to make shorebird conservation a priority-the area has been recognized as a WHSRN Site of Hemispheric Importance, ensuring a long-term commitment to conservation. WHSRN is a voluntary, non-regulatory coalition whose mission is the conservation of shorebird species through a network of key sites across the Americas. Currently, it comprises 60 member sites in eight nations that total over 20 million acres.
The Upper Bay of Panama is of irreplaceable importance for migratory birds. The annual shorebird migration consists of millions of birds flying thousands of miles each season. These birds depend on finding food and shelter at each country they stop in along the way. Counts of shorebirds along the Panama coast at times exceed 10,000 birds per kilometer-among the highest in the Hemisphere. More than one million Western sandpipers (Calidris mauri) alone pass through the area annually.
However, shorebirds, which are among the most migratory of all species on earth, are threatened by many factors, including habitat destruction, pollution and human disturbance. In fact, more than one-fourth of all of North America's shorebird species and subspecies are in serious decline, according to WHSRN. Some, such as the New World race of Red Knots (Calidris canutus), will become extinct within present lifetimes if current population trends are not halted.
To protect shorebirds and their habitats, WHSRN works with over 200 partner organizations across the Hemisphere. In Panama, the organizing partners are ANAM, the National Environmental Authority of Panama, and the non-profit Panama Audubon Society (PAS).
Because of its importance to migratory birds, the Upper Bay has also been identified as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International, and has been placed on the Ramsar list of wetlands of international importance.
The nomination of the Bay of Panama as a "Hemispheric Site" for shorebirds is a significant milestone in Panama's long-term conservation efforts. This designation underscores the value of the Bay of Panama as the most important site in Central America, and one of the largest in the Americas, for astounding numbers of migrating shorebirds.
Key Quotes for Panama/WHSRN Site Announcement
Charles Duncan, Director, Executive Office of WHSRN:
"We are delighted to recognize the Upper Bay of Panama as a 'Site of Hemispheric Importance', so vital to the millions of migratory shorebirds that come from as far away as Northern Alaska and Central Argentina. The National Environmental Authority of Panama has chosen to be a leader in the hemisphere by committing itself to the conservation of these birds and the natural heritage of the Panamanian people."
John Turner, former Assistant Secretary of State and Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service:
"The conservation of migratory birds brings countries and people together for a common purpose. The fact that birds don't know political boundaries serves as a catalyst for people in the Western Hemisphere to work together. Thanks go to organizations like the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network for making this happen for the benefit of all of us."
Rosabel Miró, President, Panama Audubon Society:
"For the past seven years, the Panama Audubon Society has been working to preserve the wetlands of the Upper Bay of Panama. The Bay of Panama, which is the first site in Central America to be part of the WHSRN network, is a critical site for migratory shorebirds. Preserving this annual spectacle can only be done through international cooperation, an increasingly obvious requirement for protecting the world's ecosystems."
Trevor Swerdfager, Director General of Environment Canada's Canadian Wildlife Service:
"The movement of hundreds of species of migratory birds among the countries of the Americas links our nations with the responsibility to respect this shared biodiversity. In that spirit of respect and responsibility, we are also proud that it was the joint work of Canadian scientists and their Panamanian colleagues that led to the discovery and recognition of the hemispheric importance of the upper Bay of Panama to shorebirds."
Ligia Castro de Doens, Director, National Environmental Authority of Panama:
"We support the designation of the Bay of Panama as a site of Hemispheric Importance due to the need of all Panamanians to ensure that the Bay is a clean and friendly place for shorebirds; the responsibility that ANAM and every citizen has to protect the Bay by conserving it and restoring it; and to raise awareness about these unique sites and the opportunities they bring, as often these sites are admired by many foreigners yet overlooked by Panamanians themselves."
For More Information:
WHSRN seeks to accomplish shorebird conservation by engaging in collaborations through a collection of key sites. WHSRN works with on-site partners including governments at several levels and with local and international non-governmental organizations to design and implement conservation actions that contribute to achieving their common missions. The Network's executive office operates as a program of Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences based in Manomet, Mass. The center provides executive staff and services to the Network's members, partners, governing councils, and the scientific advisory committee. For more information on WHSRN, visit www.whsrn.org
The Panama Audubon Society (PAS) promotes knowledge and understanding of the Panama's natural heritage. PAS has been working on sustainable development projects with rural communities adjacent to the Bay of Panama's wetlands and on environmental education in schools in Panama City. For more information, visit: www.panamaaudubon.org
Autoridad Nacional del Ambiente (ANAM) is Panama's environmental authority. For information, visit www.anam.gob.pa
Note to Editors:
Photos of Upper Panama Bay site and related sites WHSRN sites are available upon request; or by visiting the News Room at www.manomet.org
Dedication Ceremony Events
15-19 October 2005
A series of events are taking place to celebrate the designation of the Upper Bay of Panama as a WHSRN "Site of Hemispheric Importance."
October 15-16 - Panama's First Migratory Bird Festival, Metropolitan Nature Park; featuring: exhibitions, lectures, fieldtrips to Cerro Ancon and the Metropolitan Nature Park, competitions, awards, and special events for children.
October 17 - Press Conference, 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., Miramar Intercontinental Hotel Panama, with officials from the Panamanian Environmental Authority, Panama Audubon Society and WHSRN.
Also, bird observation at Panama Viejo Visitor's Center (2:00-6:00 p.m.); and public lectures by Charles Duncan on the "WHSRN and Panama - An International Approach to Local Conservation", and 'Shorebird studies in Panama, by Dana Bradshaw, an Ecologist working for the US Department of Defense. (7:00-9:00 p.m.)
October 18 - Site Dedication Ceremony, 3:30-5:30 p.m., featuring bird observation with guides and speakers. Remarks by Trevor Swerdfager, Director General of the Canadian Wildlife Service.
-Dedication Celebration, 7:30-10:00 p.m., Miramar Intercontinental Hotel.
October 19 - WHSRN Hemispheric Council Meeting, (9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.);
-Evening Reception hosted by the Canadian Embassy in Panama.
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