Abstracts

Presented by Michael G. Brasher - Email: mbrasher@ducks.org

The U.S. Western Gulf Coast, which corresponds to the planning region for the Gulf Coast Joint Venture (GCJV), provides important habitat for migrating and wintering waterfowl. The GCJV uses bioenergetic models that incorporate species specific-population abundance objectives, temporal residency, energy demand of birds, and foraging values of habitats to translate autumnwinter waterfowl population targets into habitat objectives for this important region. These objectives are expected to represent landscape conditions needed to support waterfowl populations at levels that are aligned with continental objectives of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP). Periodic assessments of long-term trends and annual variation in landscape conditions are necessary for evaluating progress toward objectives and ensuring established conservation priorities remain appropriate. In 2010, the GCJV initiated an annual habitat monitoring program using remotely sensed imagery (e.g., Landsat) to quantify abundance of winter waterfowl habitat on inland agricultural lands of the U.S. Western Gulf Coast during three periods of its autumn-winter planning window. As of 2019, the GCJV has quantified winter habitat abundance from over 20 years (19982019), revealing significant inter- and intra-annual variation in habitat abundance within and among Initiative Area planning regions. These data shed important light on spatial and temporal variation in waterfowl habitat across the GCJV landscape, help elucidate the effects of human activities and environmental conditions on landscape-scale waterfowl habitat abundance, and offer a new context within which to examine and interpret progress toward NAWMP habitat objectives.