Danger in the Boreal Bird Nursery: Come Join Us in Barcelona at the IUCN World Conservation Congress

This Saturday, I'm off to Barcelona where conservationists from all over the world are gathering for the World Conservation Congress. For me this will be a time to talk about a region that is often overlooked in global biodiversity discussions: the Boreal forests and wetlands that circle the Earth's northern climes. I've been working to protect North America's Boreal forest for some years now as it is under threat from logging, mining and oil and gas development - much of which is driven by how much we consume in the United States.

So, next week in Barcelona, I'll be talking about what industrial development in the Boreal means for the millions of migratory birds that nest there. Every spring the Boreal provides a protein bonanza of insects for birds that arrive from all over the world. Yet in places like Canada's tar sands oil mines and drill sites, nesting habitat is being lost and a precious bird nursery is being put in danger.

If you're in Barcelona next week, come and join us for a discussion on how increasing industrialization in the global Boreal forest is harming migratory birds. We will preview initial findings concerning the impact of Canadian Boreal tar sands oil extraction on the health and habitat of Western Hemisphere migratory birds as a starting point. We want to hear from you of similar experiences, and we would like to brainstorm with you on how to protect migratory birds from increasing oil and gas extraction, mining, and forestry throughout the Boreal region. 

You can see a preliminary summary of findings from an upcoming report, Danger in the Nursery: The impact of tar sands oil development in Canada's Boreal forest on North American birds (Natural Resources Defense Council, Boreal Songbird Initiative, Pembina Institute, forthcoming December 2008).

Tuesday, October 7, 14:30 - 16:00 - IUCN World Conservation Congress, Barcelona, Spain 2008, Room 114, Table 3 (CCIB, Floor P1)

Knowledge Café Discussion of Industrial Threats to Nesting Migratory Birds in the Boreal Forest (591)

For more information or to rsvp contact: Susan Casey-Lefkowitz, NRDC, sclefkowitz@nrdc.org