The purpose of this series of webinars is to share knowledge and experience within the waterfowl conservation community on how habitat conservation efforts can identify and address broad-based societal benefits (ecosystem services, natural values, green infrastructure, natural capital, ecological benefits, etc.). Presenters will address how they identified which benefits to consider, how they obtained and applied the related scientific information, how they employed an adaptive decision approach or framework, and how they communicated benefits to stakeholders.
The goals of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan target a combination of biological and social objectives that are prioritized regionally through Joint Venture partnerships. Local detail is critical for implementing waterfowl habitat delivery and making efficient use of limited funds for conservation. Dr. Straub and his collaborates developed a transparent framework to identify and prioritize landscapes for conserving waterfowl habitat at the Hydrologic Unit Code 12 watershed scale in Wisconsin, by maintaining continental and regional priorities and including local landscape characteristics, biological and social criteria, and researcher, manager, and biologist expertise. Their models are science-based, transparent, defensible, and can be modified as social, political, biological, and environmental forces change.