Helping birds remain resilient in the face of multiple threats
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The San Francisco Bay is home to a diverse range of plant and animal species. It nurtures fish populations and colonially-nesting waterbirds, is a significant wintering area for waterfowl, and is recognized as a site of hemispheric importance for migratory shorebirds. Its wetlands serve as important flood control buffers between bay waters and upland territories, and the surrounding riparian, grassland, and upland habitats are equally important, supporting numerous plants and animals, as well as hundreds of passerine, raptor, and other local and migratory landbird species.
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Photo by Bill Stone
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Photo by Phillip Lindsay
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However, Bay Area birds live in a rapidly changing landscape. The San Francisco Bay Area is one of the most heavily developed estuaries in the world, with nearly 8 million people living on its shores, placing unprecedented pressures on the region’s biological resources, goods, and services. Over the last 150 years, an estimated 90% of historic tidal marsh has been eliminated through development or conversion to salt evaporation ponds and agricultural fields. The surrounding grassland, riparian, and other habitat types have also been eliminated due to human development. In addition, climate change and pollution increasingly press on the area’s natural ecosystems.
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All of this change has had consequences to our local bird populations, and to birds around the globe. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), one in every five bird species could be extinct in the next 50-80 years. The Bay Area, an internationally important region for birds, is also heading toward increased loss. All of this is occurring during an era of shrinking government budgets dedicated to environmental protection. But SFBBO and our partners are working to build bird populations' resilience in the face of these changes and with the help of our doors and volunteers we're creating a powerful impact.
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