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BIRD
ISLANDS IMPORTANT BIRD AREA
EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
 Download
the entire conservation plan (pdf
file)
Introduction
The Bird
Islands Important Bird Area supports
the largest conlony of Great Cormorants
(Phalacrocorax carbo) in North
America. The IBA is comprised of the
Bird Islands, Hertford and Ciboux,
which are located off northeastern
of Sydney. The Nova Scotia Bird Society
(NSBS) owns Ciboux Island. The Province
of Nova Scotia would like to create
a wildlife management area in conjunction
with the NSBS.
Based on conservative estimates of
the last three survey years, about
565 pairs of great Comorants use the
islands. The Bird Islands qualify
as a globally significant Important
Bird Area under the IBA Program (
at least 62 pairs need to use the
islands, or 1 percent of the species'
global population).
Future eco-tourism ventures may cause
some potentially negative impacts
on the Great Comorants and other bird
species that use the islands. The
islands are a famous tourist attraction,
and especially known for their 'Puffin
tours'. There could be an increased
pressure from people that may want
to land on the islands. Specific provincial
protection status that restricts access
during the breeding time would control
this possibility. Two tour companies
operating in the area have generated
awarenesss and helped to ensure a
form of protection for the birds and
their habitat through their daily
tours.
The Important Bird Areas (IBA) program
is an international effort to identify,
conserve, and monitor a network of
sites that provide essential habitat
for bird populations. IBA Program,
which commenced in 1999, is to provide
groups and organizations such as the
NSBS with tools to protect, to conserve,
and to monitor important sites that
are identified as IBA’s under the
national program. The program provides
assistance to naturalists groups and
other organizations to carry out conservation
activities, to promote conservation
on the ground, to carry out education,
and to develop their own approaches
to bird conservation.
The Maritime IBA program helped the
university College of Cape Breton
to hire a student to conduct Great
Comorant surveys during the summer
of 2000. Discussions were initiated
between the exectutive of Nove Scotia
Bird Society and government biologists
about the potential declaraion of
a wildlife management area for the
two islands.
This document mainly focuses on short-term
conservation measures. Groups are
encouraged to use the plan as an advocacy
and education tool to further conservation
efforts in the future. The IBA conservation
planners facilitate this approach.
In this case, the plan was written
mainly for the Nova Scotia Bird Society
but can be used by other groups and
organizations.
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