The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced on June 7 that it was directing more than $5.1 million in grants through the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act. The federal funding will be matched by $19.6 million in partner contributions to support 32 collaborative conservation projects in 30 countries across the Americas. Highlights from this year’s projects include implementing the Golden-cheeked Warbler Conservation Plan in Chiapas, Mexico, shorebird conservation in Parita Bay, Panama, and protecting and restoring the Ecuadorian Chocó.

“We have lost nearly three billion birds in North America alone since 1970. These grants and partnerships play a crucial role in addressing bird declines across the Western Hemisphere by working to protect and positively impact millions of acres of diverse habitats where birds winter in the south, breed in the north, and where they migrate along the way,” said Service Director Martha Williams. “Thanks to the many networks that have developed through these projects, powerful conservation alliances and partnerships are growing to help many of the most at-risk species and their habitats.”