美國奧杜邦學會（NAS）芝加哥地區獲得聯邦政府8萬8310美元，以及合作夥伴捐贈的26萬5170美元獎金，恢復環繞芝加哥市周邊的公有牧草地和退化草地為多樣化草原棲地，以期能大大增加新熱帶草原區候鳥像東部美洲食蜂鶲、黃連雀、普通夜鷹、靛藍彩旗、紅尾鷹等鳥類的數量。
內政部長沙拉薩（Ken Salazar）於上週慶祝國際候鳥日席上表示，聯邦政府將撥款480多萬美元補助美國漁業暨野生動物管理局（USFWS）的36個涵蓋整個西半球新熱帶區候鳥保護行動計劃。
與此，合作夥伴也將響應聯邦政府的行動，提撥超過1800萬美元的經費支持美國、波多黎各、加拿大、墨西哥、12個拉丁美洲和加勒比海沿岸等國地區，進行生態恢復、環境教育、數量監測和其他保護新熱帶鳥類的優先任務。
新熱帶區蘊育著大量的植物、鳥類和動物群，是全球8個陸地生態區之一，範圍遍及中南美洲、墨西哥窪地、加勒比海群島、佛羅里達州南部等地。
各種鳥類包括千鳥、燕鷗、老鷹、鶯鳥、麻雀等近350種新熱帶區候鳥，夏季在美國、加拿大，冬季在拉丁美洲繁殖。其中許多鳥類面臨數量減少的威脅，根據美國瀕危物種法列入瀕危物種加以保護。
此外，2000年頒佈的新熱帶區候鳥保護法（NMBCA）為制定促進新熱帶地區候鳥保護等額補助經費的計劃奠基，視情況用於保護、研究、監測、管理鳥類族群和棲息地、執法、社區宣傳、教育等用途。按法律規定，拉丁美洲、加勒比海、加拿大地區保護項目必須佔總經費的75%以上，而美國項目則不能多於25%。
加州一非盈利性組織鳥類族群研究所（IBP）將收到聯邦政府19萬6216美元，外加合作夥伴捐贈95萬7600美元的贊助金，協助40個新熱帶區鳥類遷徙監測站的長期運行。同時，在加州、墨西哥、中南美新增的保護區内另建10座監測站，加強運作以填補目前地理信息缺口、增加樣本量、提供基本數據等功能。
The National Audubon Society Chicago Region has been awarded $88,310 by the federal government and partners will match with $265,170 to return publicly owned hayfields and degraded grasslands surrounding the city of Chicago to a diverse prairie habitat, greatly increasing numbers of neotropical migrant grassland birds. The Eastern kingbird, cedar waxwing, common nighthawk, indigo bunting, and red-tailed hawk are among the birds that use these grasslands.
The federal grant is part of more than $4.8 million in U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service grants for 36 projects supporting neotropical migratory bird conservation throughout the Western Hemisphere, said Interior Secretary Ken Salazar last week to celebrate International Migratory Bird Day.
Partners will match the federal funds with more than $18 million that will support habitat restoration, environmental education, population monitoring, and other priority activities within the ranges of neotropical birds in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico and 12 Latin American and Caribbean countries.
Neotropical describes one of the world's eight terrestrial ecozones. This ecozone includes South and Central America, the Mexican lowlands, the Caribbean islands, and southern Florida, which all share a large number of plant, bird and animal groups.
Plovers, terns, hawks, cranes, warblers and sparrows - nearly 350 species of neotropical migratory birds breed in the United States and Canada and winter in Latin America. Many of these birds are in decline and several species are currently protected as threatened or endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.
The Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act of 2000 established the matching grants program to fund projects promoting the conservation of neotropical migratory birds in the United States, Canada, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Funds may be used to protect, research, monitor and manage bird populations and habitat, as well as to conduct law enforcement and community outreach and education. By law, at least 75 percent of the money goes to projects in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Canada, while the remaining 25 percent can go to projects in the United States.
As one of this year's grants, the Institute for Bird Populations, a California nonprofit organization, will receive a of $196,216, which will be matched by partner funds of $957,600, to help operate 40 long-running neotropical migrant monitoring stations and establish and operate 10 new stations to fill geographic information gaps, increase sample sizes and provide baseline data for newly protected areas in California, Mexico, Central and South America.
Click here for more about these projects, plus the 27 projects in Mexico, Central and South America.
作者
In my healing journey and learning to attain the breath awareness, I become aware of the reality that all the creatures of the world are breathing the same breath. Take action, here and now. From my physical being to the every corner of this out of balance's planet.
