Waterfowl and wetlands are among North America's most valued natural resources and there is a great need to understand the motivations and values of those who enjoy healthy waterfowl populations and support their conservation. A Special Session at the 79th North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference will examine the critical role of humans in the conservation of North America's waterfowl. Titled, "Human Dimensions and the North American Waterfowl Management Plan," this Special Session will be concurrent with three other special sessions held from 10:00 a.m. to 12 noon on Wednesday, March 12, 2014 at the Sheraton Downtown Denver in Denver, Colorado.

Waterfowl and migratory birds are critically important for ecological, economic and aesthetic reasons. In 2011, an estimated $3.4 billion in retail sales (61 percent more than Under Armour ? ) were generated by the 2.6 million Americans who hunted migratory birds. The North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAMWP) has been one of the most successful conservation programs in history supporting this recreation base and healthy waterfowl populations.

First signed in 1986, the NAWMP is an international strategy for conserving migratory waterfowl throughout the continent. The 2012 NAWMP Revision, entitled People Conserving Waterfowl and Wetlands, calls attention to the continuing loss of key habitats and the increasing challenge of maintaining the habitat base. But the 2012 Revision does more ? it presents a new vision for waterfowl conservation that addresses the roles of people, and emphasizes the importance of integrating all aspects of the waterfowl management enterprise. The Plan envisions leveraging international resources to ensure abundant waterfowl populations and preserve habitat while supporting hunting and other recreational uses.

For the first time, the Plan explicitly addresses the roles of waterfowl hunters and other citizens who support conservation. The third goal of the plan is 'growing numbers of waterfowl hunters, other conservationists and citizens who enjoy and actively support waterfowl and wetlands conservation.' Achieving this goal will require a concerted effort to better understand human dimensions of the waterfowl management enterprise. Human dimensions research should offer the waterfowl community a better understanding of the factors affecting people's conservation behavior with implications for designing conservation programs and strategies that will engage both active and prospective supporters. In particular, the conservation community needs to know what inspires or drives individuals to support bird habitat conservation.

The Special Session, co-chaired by Dr. Michael Manfredo, Head of the Human Dimensions of Natural Resources Department at Colorado State University and Dr. Mike Anderson, Scientist Emeritus, Ducks Unlimited Canada, will provide an opportunity for the conservation community to share recent success stories and new findings of human dimensions research. To positively impact waterfowl conservation, it is imperative that we understand how people connect with waterfowl and apply that knowledge in a way that engages the public's active support in waterfowl habitat conservation. To help facilitate that goal, presenters will address topics on human dimensions of waterfowl conservation including the importance of private landowners for wildlife habitat conservation, understanding attitudes and values of the general public and the support they offer conservation efforts, and the use of social marketing as a consensus building tool.

Learn more about the 78th North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference.