ABC's Bird Conservation Framework
View summary of 2023 Scorecard as a PDF
American Bird Conservancy's mission is to conserve birds and their habitats throughout the Americas (including Hawai'i and the U.S. Pacific Territories). We are also committed to measuring and reporting on our results. This Conservation Impact Scorecard provides a summary of ABC's cumulative conservation actions and outcomes at the end of 2021, organized according to the main components of our Strategic Bird Conservation Framework (graphic at left).
Not all programs lend themselves easily to quantitative scoring, and we believe that it is important that we not allow ease of measurability to drive priority-setting away from important but less easily-counted actions (such as training, capacity-building, and sustainability). Nevertheless, this document does provide data on those ABC program outcomes that are most easily quantified.
Other critical aspects of our work, such as commitment to our mission, our integrity, and our dedication, will likely never be fully measurable in quantitative terms, but we hope these qualities shine through regardless.
Working in partnership is the bedrock of ABC's organizational philosophy, and ABC is one of multiple partners engaged in almost all of the activities outlined here. Listed outcomes and actions are those in which ABC played a leading or significant role in the particular accomplishment.
We are grateful to all the donors and partners we have worked with over the past 26 years and want to acknowledge that ABC's accomplishments would not be possible without the collective efforts of these groups. A full list of partners and supporters is included in our current online Annual (or Impact) Report.
PREVENTING BIRD EXTINCTIONS
ABC works to prevent the extinction of the most endangered birds by helping partner groups to establish and sustain protected reserves for the rarest species in Latin America; supporting the restoration of habitat for endemic Hawaiian forest birds; and protecting key seabird colonies from invasive species and other threats. ABC also monitors implementation of the U.S. Endangered Species Act to ensure all listed birds, and those that need to be listed, are properly conserved.
REVERSING BIRD POPULATION DECLINES
Many bird populations are in decline. ABC works to prevent these birds of conservation concern from becoming endangered by engaging landowners and partner groups to help improve the management of millions of acres of land in the U.S. and internationally. ABC identifies areas (BirdScapes) where conservation opportunities overlap with key habitat for birds, and develops and implements management practices coupled with incentives to ensure that bird habitat is well protected, managed, or conserved.
REDUCING THREATS TO ALL BIRDS
ABC works to prevent or mitigate threats to all birds by working with policymakers, partner groups, and the private sector to develop and implement solutions to large-scale causes of bird mortality, along with precedent-setting or critical regional bird problems. This work involves lobbying, grassroots outreach, the development of new technologies, and occasional legal action to resolve particularly intractable problems.
BUILDING THE BIRD CONSERVATION MOVEMENT
To build capacity for bird conservation and welcome everyone who wants to help birds, ABC provides financial and technical support as well as knowledge sharing across a broad front of management and conservation programs.
