Piping plover in Manitoba (Charadrius melodus circumcinctus): summary of action plan

1. Opening Statement

The Action Plan for the Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus circumcinctus) in Manitoba was due for posting on the Species at Risk (SAR) Public Registry by December 31, 2007, for a 60-day public comment period. A draft action plan has been prepared, but it still requires revisions and consultations with key stakeholders and landowners before posting on the SAR Public Registry. The Province of Manitoba is leading the development of the Action Plan for the Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus circumcinctus) in Manitoba, and Environment Canada will take the lead role in the consultation process in cooperation with Manitoba. Once completed, Environment Canada will adopt the action plan under section 51 of the Species at Risk Act and post it on the SAR Public Registry. Environment Canada will continue to work in cooperation with the Province of Manitoba to ensure the action plan is posted on the SAR Public Registry at the earliest opportunity.

2. Summary

2.1 Scope of the Action Plan

The Action Plan for the Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus circumcinctus) in Manitoba is one of four actions plans which will implement the Recovery Strategy for the Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus circumcinctus) in Canada and the Addendum to the Final Recovery Strategy for the Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus circumcinctus) in Canada, Re: Identification of Critical Habitat. The three others are for Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario.

This action plan addresses the recovery goal of achieving “a viable, self-sustained and broadly distributed population” of Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus circumcinctus), following the population objective of at least 120 adults over three consecutive international censuses” in Manitoba.

The recovery objectives of the action plan are to minimize human disturbance of the Piping Plover habitat in Manitoba, sustain a fledging rate of 1.25 fledged chicks/pair at managed sites, provide public awareness, monitor management progress and use adaptive management.

2.2 Critical Habitat

Critical habitat will be identified for the Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus circumcinctus) based on criteria established in the Action Plan for the Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus circumcinctus) in Manitoba. Critical habitat criteria in the Action Plan for Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus circumcinctus) in Manitoba differ from that in the recovery strategy. It is anticipated that the criteria will be consistent with the Addendum to the Final Recovery Strategy for the Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus circumcinctus) in Canada, Re: Identification of Critical Habitat.

2.3 Actions to Achieve Recovery Objective(s)

Actions listed in the Action Plan for the Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus circumcinctus) in Manitoba will be implemented using five strategies for recovery. These five strategies are: habitat protection and management; productivity enhancement; public awareness and education; population monitoring and research; and evaluation.

In the three Prairie provinces, the federal government has invested over $450,000 in Piping Plover recovery actions since 2004 through the Habitat Stewardship Program. It has also funded recovery projects for over $360,000 since 2002 under the Interdepartmental Recovery Fund.

2.4 Monitoring

The Manitoba Piping Plover provincial population is monitored every five years as part of the International Piping Plover Census. To date four international censuses have been carried out. Annual monitoring is carried out at key sites to assess population size, population trend and productivity.

2.5 Socio-economic Considerations

The socio-economic implications of the Action Plan for the Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus circumcinctus) in Manitoba will be examined in the context of the following activities: recreation, commercial fishing and hydroelectric generation. A summary of the results will be included in the action plan.