At the 101,000 hectare RIO bravo conversation management area (rbcma) in northwestern belize, where programme for belize (PFB) conducts a sustainable timber programme on 37,000 HA., researchers will…

The Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service awarded a $982,190 Project Grant under the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation (CFDA 15.635) program to the Massachusetts Audubon Society, Inc. The funding will support research and capacity building at the Rio Bravo Conservation Management Area in Belize. The key deliverables include:

Quantifying demographic parameters (e.g., survival) for priority migratory bird species along gradients of silvicultural intensity in the RBCMA, and identifying forestry treatments and structural conditions that maximize these parameters. Findings will be integrated into the site management plan, and formal forestry standards will be developed into an outreach document. To support ongoing implementation and monitoring, the project will provide 80 hours of bird banding workshops, 3 days of telemetry and habitat measurement trainings, 1 data analysis workshop, and 1 workshop on sustainable forestry in Belize.

The project period is from Jul 1, 2023 to Jun 30, 2025. Massachusetts Audubon Society has prior experience delivering migratory bird and biological technician services to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, as well as a range of conservation, restoration, and community engagement projects through past federal grant awards.

At the 101,000 hectare RIO bravo conversation management area (rbcma) in northwestern belize, where programme for belize (PFB) conducts a sustainable timber programme on 37,000 HA., researchers will quantify key demographic parameters (e.g., survival) for priority migrants along gradients of silvicultural intensity and will identify forestry treatments and structural conditions that achieve the highest values for these parameters. Findings will be integrated into the site management plan and forestry standards will also be formalized into an outreach document. To support ongoing and future implementation and monitoring of sustainable forestry, and the conservation of neotropical migratory birds and other taxa in belize, partners will hold 80 hours of banding workshops, three days of telemetry and habitat measurement trainings, one workshop on data analysis, and one workshop to discuss sustainable forestry in belize and to disseminate the outreach document and other findings.