Maryland Bird Conservation Partnership

In less than a single lifetime, North America has lost more than one in four of its birds, according to a report in the world’s leading scientific journal. Published in Science by researchers at seven institutions, the findings show that 2.9 billion breeding adult birds have been lost since 1970, including birds in every ecosystem.

One third of Maryland's birds are species of greatest conservation need. Solving the complexity of threats to our state's birds requires diverse partnerships, maintained collaboration, and extensive public outreach.

The Maryland Bird Conservation Partnership (MBCP) was launched in 2014 to build the foundation of a collaborative, sustained effort to conserve Maryland birds and their habitat. Modeled after the North American Bird Conservation Initiative, bird conservation partnerships are coalitions of government agencies, nonprofits, industry, and community stakeholders that combine efforts to ensure the long-term health of native bird populations. To undertake this complex goal, MBCP will facilitate partnerships on land conservation, research, data gathering and collation, community science monitoring, and education.

MBCP is home to the Black & Latinx Birders Scholarship. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first of its kind in the nation. The Scholarship has just finished its very first cycle, awarding two $5,000 to students in the DMV. In 2021-2022 the Scholarship will launch at the national level. Support is needed to keep the Scholarship sustainable.

MBCP is also home to the Maryland Avian Research & Conservation (MARC) Fund for Youth. The fund was launched in January 2019. This fund is the first of its kind in Maryland, and possibly the Mid-Atlantic, that empowers youth to conduct avian research or conservation.

Please help us sustain our efforts by donating today!