“Growing numbers of waterfowl hunters, other conservationists, and citizens who enjoy and actively support waterfowl and wetlands conservation.” (NAWMP 2012)
“Increase waterfowl conservation support among various constituencies to at least the levels experienced during the last two decades.” (NAWMP 2014)
Why People Matter
People Are Central to Waterfowl Conservation
The NAWMP was created because people strongly value waterfowl, and this remains a key factor driving NAWMP success after nearly four decades. As the NAWMP has grown and matured, knowledge of the multiple benefits of wetlands and other waterfowl habitats has improved dramatically, and this is reflected in the increased value placed on wetlands by wider audiences. Hunters remain passionate supporters of NAWMP activities, but hunter numbers are in decline. Consequently, the NAWMP partnership must find new ways to retain its existing supporters and, importantly, increase and diversify its support base by attracting new supporters and partners.
Beyond the Birds
Communicating the Multiple Benefits of Wetlands
Since 1986, the NAWMP has recognized that, in addition to waterfowl and waterfowl habitat, current and potential supporters appreciate multiple ecological and cultural benefits that result from habitat conserved by the NAWMP. These benefits include increased water supply, improved water quality, reduced flooding, increased biodiversity, carbon sequestration, provision of food and many others. Furthermore, the connection between human physical and mental health and access to natural areas has been increasingly well-documented (see the U.S. Centers for Disease Control's One Health website at www.cdc.gov/one-health/about/).
While the NAWMP remains focused on its fundamental goals and objectives for waterfowl populations, habitat and people, there is a unique and important opportunity to develop strategies centered on marketing, economics and engagement. These strategies should emphasize the multiple benefits that NAWMP habitat conservation provides to society. This approach aims to retain existing supporters and partners while engaging new and diverse ones.
Real Results, Real Places
Multiple Benefits in Practice
Some NAWMP partners already communicate the multiple benefits that accrue from waterfowl habitat conservation and have developed conservation strategies that include multiple benefits. This approach is being recognized by policy makers, funders and conservation interests focused on water quality and quantity, biodiversity, climate change and related issues. Examples include:
- Large-scale wetland protection or restoration to reduce flooding and to reduce nitrogen and phosphorous entering waterways in Iowa (Janke and Shannon 2023; www.youtube.com/watch?v=juwRXYdRglQ) and the Prairie Habitat Joint Venture region (Pattison-Williams et al. 2018)
- Identification of wetland and floodplain restoration projects to reduce the impacts of floods and droughts on communities along the Mississippi River and to provide critical migratory and wintering habitat along the Mississippi Flyway (Herbert 2023; www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKHTH6pdM8U)
- Strategic restoration of wetlands to recharge groundwater to support agriculture and increase drinking water supplies in the Playa Lakes Joint Venture region (Playa Lakes Joint Venture 2024; pljv.org/playas/tomorrows-water/)
- Work with ranchers to maintain or restore forage in flood-prone areas to benefit cattle production, waterfowl and other wildlife in the Rainwater Basin Joint Venture (Rainwater Basin Joint Venture 2024; www.rwbjv.org/wetland-management/)
- Provision of wastewater treatment technology to people sharing landscapes with waterfowl to improve water and habitat quality in wetlands (Ducks Unlimited de Mexico 2024; dumac.org/en/dimensiones-humanas/)
Expanding the number and diversity of supporters and partners will strengthen the NAWMP's support base and increase the resources available to enhance the rate and scale of waterfowl habitat conservation. The resulting ecological benefits will, in turn, improve the quality of life for people and their communities.
Improving Quality of Life for People and Quality of Habitat for Waterfowl in Mexico
Mexico has long been a leader in espousing multiple benefits of waterfowl habitat conservation. NAWMP programs in Mexico often seek to solve problems for waterfowl and communities of people simultaneously. NAWMP partner Ducks Unlimited de Mexico has worked with partners to improve water quality in Cuitzeo Lake, preventing raw sewage from entering the wetland by providing low-maintenance chemical dry toilets to people in surrounding communities. This improves water quality in the lake, supports recovery and growth of emergent plants that provide food and habitat for waterfowl and, importantly, improves the hygiene and health of the people in local communities who previously lacked such facilities.
People as a Core Goal
Building the Foundation for People Objectives
The 2012 NAWMP revision introduced a fundamental goal focused on people, laying the foundation for new initiatives that aimed to understand the needs and desires for wetland and waterfowl conservation among North American hunters, birdwatchers, landowners—including farmers and ranchers—and other potential supporters. The 2014 Addendum and 2018 Update further articulated objectives for engaging people, emphasizing the critical need to incorporate social sciences to achieve Plan goals of increasing and diversifying supporters and partners.
Interviews conducted with JV staff revealed that, consistent with the findings of Soulliere et al. (2022), many JVs continue to question whether NAWMP objectives for people are truly equally as fundamental as those for waterfowl populations and habitat. This contrasts with a widespread view among JVs that people, either implicitly or explicitly, are critical to accomplishing waterfowl population and habitat objectives (2024 Update Technical Report). People fuel the economic and political engine that drives habitat conservation activities for waterfowl in North America. As such, people are the means by which waterfowl habitat goals are achieved. That said, reaffirming people as fundamental objectives seems to resonate with NAWMP partners and supporters. In fact, stakeholder input strongly suggests that people should be considered as both a fundamental and a means objective for the NAWMP (see Appendix C in NAWMP 2012).
Listening Before Acting
Understanding Supporters Through Social Science
The NAWMP partnership has invested significant resources over the past decade in learning about the key target audiences and how social sciences can support and advance wetland conservation. In 2022, the Unified Science Team and the NSST reported on the status of integrating human dimensions into JVs (Soulliere et al. 2022). The JVs acknowledged the importance of social sciences for achieving their goals and objectives, noting that social sciences can help them better understand the major social and environmental changes occurring across North America. As expected, there are different levels of social science engagement across JVs. There are several perceived barriers to social science engagement and integration, including JV staff capacity, traditions and culture, partnership composition, regional landscape characteristics and the stage of updating implementation/conservation plans (Soulliere et al. 2022).
More recently, the 2024 Update Technical Report found the lack of a proactive NAWMP communication plan has limited the circulation of information about the outdoor recreation opportunities and societal benefits provided by the NAWMP. There is little evidence to illustrate how data from the 2021 hunter, birdwatcher and public surveys have been used to directly inform or influence people to support waterfowl conservation. The NAWMP Communications Committee undertook an inventory of marketing assets that indicated less than 10% of the identified marketing assets directly message about the NAWMP. Most assets identified in the study were informational, did not use persuasive language and were often limited to background information on the creation and adoption of the NAWMP.
The Work Ahead
Growing a Broader Conservation Partnership
If the NAWMP partnership is to achieve its fundamental goals for waterfowl populations, habitat and people, the partnership must reach a better understanding of the barriers and motivations that affect participation by people or communities in wetland conservation. The partnership must also understand what drives or blocks support for policies that conserve the multiple benefits provided by waterfowl habitats. Learning how to better use social sciences to inform conservation program delivery, and to promote positive conservation attitudes and behaviors, is critical if the NAWMP is to achieve conservation delivery and wetland policy objectives. Ultimately, the NAWMP must go beyond merely learning; it must invest in resources and governance processes to ensure that social sciences and community priorities are fully integrated into its conservation efforts. Collectively, the NAWMP partnership must develop, expand and perhaps reimagine conservation, communications, marketing and outreach initiatives and tools to successfully engage a more diverse group of participants and build relevance to a broader and more varied array of partners.
