RESTIGOUCHE
IMPORTANT BIRD AREA
Download the entire
conservation plan (443 KB pdf file)
Restigouche
Estuary
INTRODUCTION
The
Restigouche Estuary in north-eastern
New Brunswick has been known as a very
species rich ecosystem for many years.
Although people’s attention has
mainly been focused on salmon and other
aquatic species, its richness has not
gone unnoticed by naturalists and birdwatchers.
The estuary functions as an important
stopover for migrating seaducks. It’s
rich mudflats, that lie below 1 meter
of water at high tide, provide plenty
of food for a variety of fauna. Mussel
banks are also present in the area.
The constant mixing of salt- and freshwater
sets the stage for a high biological
productivity in the estuary.
The role of the Maritime Important Bird
Areas Program, which commenced in 1999,
is to provide interest groups such as
the Restigouche Naturalists’ Club
with tools to protect, conserve, or
monitor sites of importance to birds
that are identified as Important Bird
Areas under the national program (please
refer to Section 5.3 for more information).
The main objective of the program is
to provide tools and ideas for protecting
bird species and their habitats. The
program promotes conservation, encourages
action, carries out education, and helps
groups develop their own approaches
to bird conservation at sites that they
are interested in. IBA conservation
plans (documents outlining conservation
concerns and measures) are written with
and for the group, and become a tool.
The
IBA program is an international initiative
co-ordinated by BirdLife International,
a prtnership of member-based organizations
in over 100 countries seeking to identify
and conserve sites important to all
species worldwide. The Canadian BirdLife
co-partners are the Canadian Nature
Federation (CNF) and Bird Studies Canada
(BSC). In the Maritime Provinces the
Prince Edward Island Natural History
Society, the New Burnswich Federation
of Naturalists, and the Federation of
Nova Scotia Naturalists sponsor the
Important Bird Areas Program.
The
Restigouche Estuary Important Bird Area,
as Identified by the Canadian IBA program,
crosses the border to Québec, which
runs through the middle of the estuary.
A relatively small area has been identified
for the staging Black Scoters. Until
a few years ago, only sporadic observations
had been recorded of the occurrence
of these seaducks staging here inthe
spring. Through a co-operative monitoring
effort between local naturalists and
the Canadian Wildlife Service, it is
now estimated that a large portion of
the Black Scoter population actually
stays in the estuary during spring migration
on their way north (Lushington and Clifford
2000). The area has been identified
as a globally Important Bird Area due
to this large number of Black Scoters,
a species in general though to be in
decline globally (Savard and Lamothe
1991).
The Restigouche Naturalists's
Club has identified the need for continued
monitoring (including the use of radio
collars, evaluating the number of birds
coming into the estuary, implementation
of a joint effort with Québec),
analysis of the diet of scoters in the
estuary, and an analysis of food for
possible contamination. The long-term
goal for the Restigouche Estuary Important
Bird Area is to ensure the protection
of the Black Scoters and the habitat
they use during their migration and
particularly during stay in the Restigouche
Estuary. This conservation plan outlines
the following conservation measures
and identifies actions to achieve these
objectives:
- gain
more knowledge about the scoters
in the estuary
- maintain,
establish and encourage linkages
with other observation posts in
New Brunswick, and possibly beyond
- increase
the interest of the public and naturalists
in migration
- facilitate
the observation of the scoter migration
- minimise
potential impacts on the birds during
their stay in the estuary
