United States Expands Its Protection of Migratory Birds
Washington - More than 1,000 species of migratory birds now are protected by the United States under a rule adopted March 1.
Changes to the regulations that implement the Migratory Bird Treaty Act added 186 species to the list of those for which most aspects of hunting, possession, transportation, sale, purchase, export and import are severely restricted. The revision also removed 10 species no longer known to occur within the United States and one other bird that is now classified by scientists as a subspecies.
The update, the first since 1985, "incorporates the latest taxonomic and scientific data for migratory birds," according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the federal agency with primary responsibility for carrying out the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, The law implements bilateral treaties the United States has entered into with Canada, Mexico, Japan and Russia, specifically:
. The Convention for the Protection of Migratory Birds, August 16, 1916, between the United States and Great Britain (on behalf of Canada).
. The Convention for the Protection of Migratory Birds and Game Mammals, February 7, 1936, between the United States and the United Mexican States (Mexico).
. The Convention for the Protection of Migratory Birds and Birds in Danger of Extinction, and Their Environment, March 4, 1972, between the United States and Japan.
. The Convention for the Conservation of Migratory Birds and Their Environment, November 26, 1976, between the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (Russia).
The service's Migratory Bird Program seeks to conserve migratory bird populations and their habitats for future generations through careful monitoring, effective management and support of national and international partnerships that conserve habitat for migratory birds and other wildlife. The service works in partnership with other federal agencies, state and tribal governments, and private organizations to accomplish its mission.
Protection of endangered bird species has a long history in the United States. Hunting and illegal interstate trafficking of one particular bird, the passenger pigeon, triggered a public outcry that led to the passage of the Lacey Act of 1900, the first U.S. law to place species at risk of extinction under federal protection. The act was too late to save the passenger pigeon - the last known representative of the species died in 1914 - but it benefited many other species, especially wild birds.
The plight of another bird, the whooping crane, prompted the 1966 Endangered Species Preservation Act. That law directed the Department of the Interior to create a list of endangered U.S. wildlife and authorized up to $15 million each year to buy and preserve their habitats. Its successor, the Endangered Species Act of 1973, broadened federal protections for endangered animals and plants and extended aid to state governments for wildlife protection. The act seeks to conserve the ecosystems on which endangered species and threatened species depend, establish a program to conserve endangered and threatened species and carry out international conventions intended to protect endangered species.
As the lead federal agency for managing and protecting migratory birds in the United States, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is involved in a wide range of conservation activities. The success of these activities, generally developed within a specific service program, depends on close coordination and effective partnerships with other federal and state agencies, tribal governments and private entities, as well as with governments of other nations.
The service says its vision is to "foster a world in which bird populations continue to fulfill their ecological roles while lifting the human spirit and enriching human lives in infinite ways, for generations to come."
The full text ( http://migratorybirds.fws.gov./ ) of the rule is available on the Government Printing Office Web site.
