The Piping Plover as an Umbrella Species for the Barrier Beach Ecosystem

Abstract

Conservation of federally threatened Piping Plovers (Charadrius melodus) on the Atlantic Coast has contributed greatly to the overall conservation of the bar- rier beach ecosystem. From the northernmost nesting pairs in maritime Canada to the southernmost wintering individuals in the Caribbean islands, biologists deploy above average resources and effort to locate, map, and conserve this species and its habitats. Efforts to protect Piping Plovers benefit other beach-nesting birds, migrating and wintering shorebirds, threatened and endangered species, and barrier beach fauna and flora. Over the past twenty or more years of targeted Piping Plover conservation efforts, both the target species and its associates have increased dramatically at key sites throughout its range. The history of Piping Plover and barrier beach conservation in Massachusetts and the management techniques developed there serve as a model for the National Audubon Society’s Coastal Bird Conservation Program as it promotes and develops similar conservation measures for beach-nesting birds and barrier beach habitats throughout North America.