The North American Waterfowl Management Plan and Wetlands for the Americas programmes: a summary

Bird conservation is a global environmental issue which requires innovative approaches to species and habitat protection and management and the promotion of sustainable development practices. This paper presents some of the highlights in the evolution of two programmes, what may or may not have made them succeed, what lessons were learned and what recommendations can be made for the future of bird conservation. The evolution of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP) and Wetlands for the Americas (WA) bears a lot of similarity to the evolution of International Waterfowl and Wetlands Research Bureau and Ramsar.