What are the primary laws for protecting birds and other wildlife?
There are several levels of legal protections for birds and other wildlife.
More information about the Federal Endangered Species Act can be found here, and additional information about the California Endangered Species Act can be found here. State-listed birds can be found here.
The Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act are also important tools that show how our nation has come together to conserve birds for over 100 years.
The US Fish and Wildlife Service has a newly-updated Birds of Conservation Concern focusing on the bird species that will be listed on the Endangered Species act soon if nothing is done to improve their populations, and National Audubon released Audubon's Priority Birds 2021, which shows the bird groups that Audubon is working on and how our actions are helping to improve their numbers.
Here in San Diego, the Multiple Species Conservation Program, which is decades old and was very wholistic and ecosystem-based at the time of its creation, is a critical tool for protecting bird habitats. Extending the MSCP program to the northern and eastern portions of our County, and bringing habitat protection and restoration into our County Climate Action Plan and City Climate Action Plan are important steps we're helping to lead.
