The Act directs the Secretary of the Interior to establish a grants program in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to fund neotropical migratory bird conservation programs in the Western Hemisphere. It requires that at least 75 percent of future funding be spent outside the U.S. on projects designed to enhance neotropical bird conservation and that adequate local public participation in project development and implementation is ensured.
"The Act allows the Service to pursue new opportunities to conserve migratory birds and their habitat at home and to expand our partnerships with Latin America and the Carribean to protect ecosystems throughout this hemisphere,said Service Director Jamie Rappaport Clark. ABecause the same birds we enjoy in this country in spring and summer depend on the Carribean islands and Latin America for winter habitat and resting places, Americans must work together to make certain birds have a secure future throughout their migration."
Of the nearly 800 bird species known to occur in the United States, approximately 500 migrate across our borders, with the large majority wintering in the Carribean and Latin America. Hemisphere-wide habitat loss due to deforestation and development threaten the future survival of these neotropical migrants. Conservation efforts are especially important in the islands of the Carribean for example, which play a crucial role as winter habitat for many migratory bird species. The islands are also essential as stopovers for other birds winging their way to their winter homes in Latin America or their spring and summer homes in North America. Carribean and Latin American habitats are also home to many native bird species found nowhere else in the world.
AThe Act reinforces our country=s commitment to the worldwide conservation of wildlife species and recognizes that these winged ambassadors are important economically, ecologically, and culturally throughout the world,@ Clark said.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 93-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses 525 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 66 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
