Friday's Findings - July 10 2020
How Social Science Informs the Management of North American Waterfowl Hunting and Birdwatching.
Date: July 10, 2020 from 2 - 2:30 p.m. eastern time
Speaker: Nicholas Cole, U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center
Microsoft Teams Link - those outside of DOI will be let in by Moderator
Summary: The North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP) is an international initiative that was developed to conserve waterfowl populations and habitats on a continental scale. With a 2012 update of the plan, a fundamental shift was made to focus on people as well as on waterfowl populations and habitats. It now includes a goal of “Growing numbers of waterfowl hunters, other conservationists and citizens who enjoy and actively support waterfowl and wetlands conservation”. This effort represents the first of its kind to explicitly address the connections between ecological and social systems within a broad scale management plan. The North American Waterfowl Management Plan Committee established a Human Dimensions Working Group (HDWG) and a Public Engagement Team to develop coordinated, adaptive, strategic approaches to strengthen the connections between society and nature through hunting, bird watching, and participation in conservation. Beginning with a series of workshops with hunters and bird watchers in the U.S. and Canada, the HDWG surveyed waterfowl hunters (n = 9,144), bird watchers (n = 36,908), the public (n = 1,030), and waterfowl and wetlands professionals (n = 367). In this presentation, we will briefly discuss some of the advanced social science methods used to meet NAWAMP objectives and ways that the results may be applied to improved waterfowl and wetland conservation.
Related Content
North American Waterfowl Management Plan
The ultimate success of North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP) depends on maintaining relevance to stakeholders and society. In order to be relevant, a first step is to better understand what people value in regard to waterfowl and their habitats.