Conserving North America's Bird Nursery in the Face of Climate Change
BOREAL SONGBIRD INITIATIVE | OCTOBER 2018
Many boreal bird species risk significant declines as a result of climate change, but a new report identifies areas of Canada’s Boreal Forest that hold the key to birds’ long-term survival. While conditions in some bird habitats are expected to shift, large landscapes within the boreal region will remain relatively stable. Protecting these boreal lands will offer birds the best chance to thrive.
The report, a first-of-its-kind assessment released by the Boreal Songbird Initiative, examined 53 bird species and found that more than half could face declines—some up to 70 percent—if steps are not taken to conserve important habitat. Birds particularly at risk because of a projected decline in their area of suitable climate include the Canada Jay (also known as the Grey Jay or Whiskey Jack), Palm Warbler, and Rusty Blackbird. Other bird species, like the Cape May Warbler, are projected to move northward but will need intact habitats along the way to survive.
The analysis identifies two types of landscapes that, if protected, could provide nesting grounds, vibrant wetlands and intact forest habitat that will support birds for decades to come:
Climate Refugia: Large areas of the forest will remain relatively stable and continue to sustain many bird species. Most of these climate refugia for birds overlap with important storehouses of carbon, caribou habitat and other high conservation values.
Climate Corridors: Many bird species will move northward as conditions change over time. Protecting pathways of intact boreal forest will help vulnerable bird species adapt to their new ranges.
Photo credit: Jeff Nadler