Bird Conservation Regions

Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs) are ecologically distinct regions in North America with similar bird communities, habitats, and resource management issues within their boundaries. The primary purposes of BCRs are to:

• Facilitate communication among bird conservation initiatives
• Systematically and scientifically apportion the US into conservation units
• Facilitate a regional approach to bird conservation
• Promote new, expanded, or restructured partnerships
• Identify overlapping or conflicting conservation priorities

BCRs also facilitate domestic and international cooperation in bird conservation because these areas of relatively homogenous habitats and bird communities traverse state, provincial, and national borders. Many bird conservation plans and resources are developed and implemented at the BCR scale. Bird conservation plans are organized by taxa (landbird, shorebird, waterbird, or waterfowl), with comprehensive “all birds” conservation plans now available in a number of BCRs.

What can Bird Conservation Regions offer land trusts?

Bird conservation plans, organized by BCR, offer land trusts information about priority species and habitats in their region. In some cases, they also suggest focal species for monitoring. On the NABCI website you can view an interactive BCR Map with descriptions and links to regional bird conservation plans, which can be helpful to land trusts in prioritizing species and lands, and linking their conservation activities with other projects in their BCR.