SHOREBIRD CONSERVATION PROJECT

THIS IS A NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD TO A SINGLE-SOURCE. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) intends to award a grant agreement to Manomet, Inc., to better understand how shorebirds use the different areas and habitats within the Gulf of Fonseca Region of Central America. Specific activities include evaluating the potential impacts of shrimp farms on shorebirds in the Gulf and initiate steps towards the documentation, development, and implementation of best management practices for shrimp farms that will contribute to sustainable shorebird populations. Surveys in recent years have revealed the Gulf of Fonseca to be of considerable global importance as a staging and wintering area for shorebirds. This project addresses the following key actions of the Pacific Americas Shorebird Conservation Strategy (Senner et al. 2016) to: 1) manage and conserve existing habitats, 2) create conservation initiatives with natural resource industries, and 3) improve knowledge of present and future habitats. Manomet, Inc. selected to receive this award based on unique qualifications due to ongoing work with partners in the Gulf of Fonseca region to develop a network of shorebird conservation partners, and Manomet being a strong partner of the Service in developing and implementing the Pacific Americas Shorebird Conservation Strategy.