Flagship Species Initiative

To achieve our mission, we are focusing our conservation efforts primarily on coastal marsh habitat and three species that depend on this habitat.

Save The Salt Marsh

Tidal marsh birds are facing a crisis that is playing out in nearly every state in the Atlantic Coast Joint Venture. Sea-level rise, urbanization and other human impacts have degraded this narrow band of coastal habitat, pushing many bird populations into steep decline. Recognizing the urgent need and our shared responsibility for salt marsh habitat conservation, the ACJV partnership is directing its collective attention to conserving the Saltmarsh Sparrow, Black Rail, and American Black Duck and the coastal marsh habitat they inhabit.

Where We Work

The ACJV area encompasses very diverse ecosystems and habitats, from the boreal forests and rocky coastlines of Maine south to the tropical mangrove swamps and coral reefs of Florida and Puerto Rico, and from the rugged forested peaks of the Appalachian Mountains east to the low-lying Atlantic Coastal Plain with its many coastal rivers, bays. We work with partners to restore and sustain native bird populations and habitats throughout the Atlantic Coast Joint Venture region. Our efforts are focused on the conservation of coastal marshes, to protect, restore, and enhance habitat for high-priority birds.

Conservation Plans

Our Conservation Plans outline the highest priority strategies needed to conserve Salt Marsh and the suite of birds that depend on this habitat. Individual species plans set population and habitat targets at the state and regional levels with the goal of creating sufficient high-quality habitat to support long-term sustainable populations of birds.