US Fish and Wildlife Service Grant for the World Seabird Conference

PURPOSE:

The Pacific Seabird Group (PSG) is a society of professional seabird researchers and managers dedicated to the study and conservation of seabirds. PSG is a member of the Ornithological Council and the American Bird Conservancy. PSG members include biologists, wildlife managers, students and conservationists from the United States, Mexico, Canada and Japan and 12 other countries. PSG annual meetings and publications provide forums where members can share their findings on all research topics relating to Pacific seabirds and discuss local and large scale conservation issues. The PSG is headed by an Executive Council including regional representatives.

The principal goals of the Pacific Seabird Group are to increase the quality and quantity of seabird research through facilitating exchange of information and to identify and assess the importance of threats to seabird populations and provide government agencies and others with expert advice on managing the threats and populations.

Purpose of this federal assistance award

The Pacific Seabird Group is hosting the World Seabird Conferenence, 2010 with 20 other professional seabird organizations around the world participating. The membership of these organizations number well over 1,000 people from more than 30 countries. This will be the first global seabird meeting of this magnitude. There are proposed symposia on Global Climate Change and Seabirds, Seabird Island Restoration, Seabird/fisheries Interactions, and Seabird Movements and Marine Hotspots and several, special paper sessions and workshops. One of the products of this meeting is Global Network of Seabird Colony Databases. This will be the first information on global seabird colonies that will be available in one location and online.

The purose of this federal assistance award is to provide financial assistance to PSG for the specific purpose of sponsoring the World Seabird Conference.

OBJECTIVES:
The objective of this grant is to provide funding that will be used to assist in travel of students and scientists from developing countries in need of outside funding and invited speakers for symposia and special sessions, from as many as 20 countries. Funding will also assist in developing some of the global seabird networks and websites, and funding to support publication of proceedings.

BACKGROUND

The Pacific Seabird Group is hosting the first World Seabird Conference.

The World Seabird Conference is:
• First global meeting of seabird specialists
• 600 participants from 21 seabird groups from more than 30 countries
• Global issues to be addressed at the conference
o Global Climate Change and Seabirds
o Seabird Island Restoration
o Seabird/fisheries Interactions
o Seabird Movements and Marine Hotspots

Purpose of the World Seabird Conference
• Leverage partnerships to create multinational coalitions for the conservation and management of seabirds
• Global Networks of Seabird Colony and Tracking Databases
• Enhance “Seabirds.net”, thereby creating a global website aimed at making seabird information easily available

REASON FOR SINGLE SOURCE:
(1) Unique Qualifications – The applicant is uniquely qualified to perform the activity based upon a variety of demonstrable factors such as location, property ownership, voluntary support capacity, cost-sharing ability, if applicable, technical expertise, or other such unique qualifications. The Pacific Seabird Group is the largest professional seabird group in the world and is the only one who was willing to take on the financial responsibility to sponsor the World Seabird Conference. There is an International Steering Committee involving the 21 seabird groups from the entire world and no other seabird group was willing to carry the financial risk of putting on the Conference. Therefore the PSG signed the contract with the Victoria Conference Center to hold the World Seabird Conference there.