The Arizona Important Bird Areas (IBA) Program at Tucson Audubon is an exciting, active, field-oriented, community-engaged, science-based and conservation-focused program to benefit Arizona’s bird populations of greatest conservation concern, and other native biodiversity, and their most critical habitats and sites!!
To view our statewide Arizona IBA website, get announcements, use our on-line AZ IBA Bird Survey Database, review our IBA list, and get technical bird survey documents, visit www.aziba.org (hosted by Tucson Audubon Society).
Here is what the IBA Program at Tucson Audubon is all about!
What we do:
- We provide key bird and habitat information to our partners to ensure the conservation of key sites for bird populations of concern in Arizona.
- We identify sites through our science committee as Audubon identified Important Bird Areas in Arizona, and promote their importance for wildlife conservation.
- Within or adjacent to our Important Bird Areas we partner with landowners to achieve common land management and wildlife conservation goals, working to achieve win-win outcomes
- We engage and inspire people to act for the conservation and protection of natural ecosystems, to benefit wildlife and human communities alike.
- We manage an on-line database of all our survey efforts and bird data, fully accessible to anybody!
- We have an in-house Geographic Information System to map all our survey locations, IBAs, bird data, and we share this information regularly to any interested party.
How we do it:
- We move people to the field!
- We train and use a cadre of dedicated volunteers.
- We inspire people to care for a place through a commitment to gathering quality ecological information.
- We love the concept of “conservation through birding!”, and we promote it.
- We collect the bird data where “typical birders” don’t go, or can’t go.
- We analyze and interpret the data and what it means for bird conservation for a given site.
- We get the data to the land managers and public.
- We educate the public about ecosystem values to people and wildlife alike!
Priority IBAs or potential for conservation and protection in southern Arizona:
- The Lower San Pedro IBA
- The greater Sabino/Tanque Verde watershed
- The Patagonia/Santa Rita Mountain area
- The Santa Cruz River and Tributaries
About the Arizona IBA Program
Accomplishments of the Arizona IBA Program
Our Value:
- We are well respected, integrated, and appreciated by county, state, and federal land management organizations.
- We are non-governmental, non-regulatory, pro-active, conservation program, which works to bring field and research data, and the best information possible to the table for land management decisions and ecosystem conservation.
- We advocate from a professional science-based background, employing the best available and current scientific and ecological information.
For more information contact Scott Wilbor, Arizona Important Bird Areas Program, Conservation Biologist, or Jennie MacFarland, AZ IBA Program Assistant (520) 629-0510 (ext. 7004).
