Fish and Wildlife Coordination and Assistance

THIS IS A NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD TO A SINGLE-SOURCE. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) intends to award a grant agreement to Asociacion para el Estudio y Conservacion de las Aves Acuaticas en Colombia (Asociación Calidris) to implement a monitoring program to strengthen the capabilities of park rangers in monitoring and research of shorebirds and their habitats to ensure that shorebird population information is integrated into the management and implementation process of the protected areas along the Caribbean coast of Colombia. The Caribbean coast of Colombia has over 1,600 linear kilometers of coastline, with coastal habitats of five protected areas that are used potentially by 11 species shorebirds considered as focal species by the Atlantic Flyway Shorebird Initiative (AFSI). However, these protected areas lack of a monitoring program for understanding shorebird and habitat relationships and assessing the effectiveness of the management actions. This project will focus on delivering workshops to increase the awareness of protected areas staff about the conservation issues facing migratory shorebirds and to train them in shorebird monitoring and management techniques, because the successful implementation of the AFSI depends on the partnership¿s capacity to monitor change across a broad landscape. Population monitoring is critical for understanding the size of the current population, and, even more importantly, provides the big picture of our success at restoring or maintaining populations. Shorebird monitoring is very useful for protected areas because the identification and inventories of habitat types are critical to park managers for managing designated critical habitat, essential habitat, and recovery areas to maintain and enhance their value for the recovery of threatened and high concern species. This program aligns with Departmental funding Priority #1, creating a conservation stewardship legacy second only to Teddy Roosevelt, as it promotes natural resource conservation through sustainable use integrating the best science (survey data) for the conservation of migratory shorebirds. By engaging network partners and other local stakeholders, this program aligns with Priority #3, restoring trust with our local communities, by improving relationships and expanding lines of communication with international partners who look to consider local communities in developing conservation solutions. Funding for this project is provided under the authority of the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956, as amended, 16 U.S.C. 742a-754; Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act of 1958, 16 U.S.C. 661- 667(e); Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, 16 U.S.C. 2901-2911; the Migratory Bird Treaty 2 Act, 16 U.S.C. 709a, and the Department of State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2017.