Vision, Mission, Values and Objectives
The Boreal Avian Modelling Project (BAM) was created to develop the best predictive bird-habitat models possible from existing data, with the goal of meeting immediate conservation needs and informing future research and monitoring efforts.
Conservation of North American boreal-breeding birds and their habitats is guided by rigorous, credible, and collaborative science. BAM believes that North American bird populations can be recovered and sustained through thoughtful actions based on data-driven science.
BAM develops high quality scientific information, products, and guidance addressing pressing management needs. We pursue our vision of conserving North American boreal-breeding birds by providing data-driven science that fills information gaps to guide conservation action. We seek to understand species’ large-scale habitat needs and the impacts of human activities, informing both regional and continental conservation.
Transparency: We strive to produce content that is accessible to a broad range of decision makers.
Scientific excellence: We provide high-quality content, holding ourselves to the highest scientific standards.
Innovation and creativity: We embrace continuous improvement, exploring new ideas to develop and identify better ways of achieving avian conservation goals.
Collaborative and connected: We achieve conservation outcomes through partnerships and community.
Resourceful: Through creative methods, our research provides useful information from heterogeneous datasets.
Proactive: We consider potential research and information needs and pursue related work accordingly.
The objectives of the Boreal Avian Modelling Project are to:
- ASSEMBLE, harmonize, and archive standardized boreal bird survey data.
- DEVELOP or refine statistical methods to analyze these data, to:
- PROVIDE reliable information on boreal bird distributions, abundances, trends, and habitat associations;
- FORECAST population consequences of human activity and climate change;
- CONTRIBUTE to conservation, management, and monitoring of boreal birds and their habitats.
- BUILD SUPPORT for boreal bird conservation via collaborations and outreach.
- FACILITATE further research efforts by generating testable hypotheses about key mechanisms driving boreal bird populations.
- ENCOURAGE public awareness and support education.
Our Strategic Approach
The results generated by BAM are relevant to resource planners, managers, decision makers, and others with an interest in the conservation of boreal birds and the impact of human activity on the boreal forest ecosystem.
We pursue work in several complementary and interconnected Strategic Areas, described below, that we call Themes. They offer a transparent entry point for potential collaborators to recognize similar interests and relevant projects.
Boreal landbird monitoring design
Projects regarding survey methods and monitoring design, touching on topics such as point count surveys protocols, species detectability, automated recording unit protocols and standardization, sampling coverage, and model-based survey design.
Population status and trends
Generating research and products that facilitate the assessment of species’ populations, including: density and distribution estimates and maps, population size estimates, and trends.
Habitat requirements
Determining and describing the habitat needs of species, the mechanisms for habitat selection, and how habitat needs and selection vary across the boreal region.
Threats assessment
Quantifying the impacts of landscape change by human disturbances, including energy sector development, forest management, climate change, and the cumulative effects of these factors and natural disturbances. Regional extent of the work varies with the sector(s) of interest and many questions are explored at multiple spatial scales.
Conservation planning
Products and analyses that inform and evaluate prioritization of regions and protected areas design, including partnership with the Boreal Ecosystems Analysis for Conservation Planning (BEACONs) Project.
Species at risk conservation, recovery planning, and multi-species management
Developing scientific information and approaches to support species assessment and recovery, including products to assist with identification of critical habitat for species at risk.
Full annual cycle
Exploring possible impacts of non-breeding ground factors on boreal breeding bird populations.
Methodological development
Developing and adapting statistical approaches to address the ecological questions we wish to answer.
Communication & collaboration
We strive to make our research findings and products available for use by other parties in research, conservation, and management applications. We work with collaborators to co-produce or inform such work.