Coasts and Oceans

Restoring the Gulf of Mexico

Building a resilient Gulf Coast for birds and people.

The Gulf of Mexico is one of America鈥檚 great ecological treasures.

The region is home to a vast array of bird species and other wildlife, including 11 of 探花精选鈥檚 flagship species as well as six 探花精选 priority species. These species use the Gulf at some point during their life cycles, for breeding, overwintering or as a migratory stopover. These species represent at least 300 other species and the ecosystem on which they depend.

探花精选 is committed to restoring the Gulf of Mexico by focusing on priority habitats for these and other species, from Texas to Florida and out to the open ocean. The challenges facing the wildlife and human communities in the Gulf have been, and will continue to be, significant. For that reason, 探花精选 is working to monitor the health of birds and the places they need in the aftermath of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil disaster.

Through sound science, policy leadership, and habitat conservation and restoration, 探花精选 and our partners are protecting and revitalizing ecosystems battered by natural and human-made disasters, and advancing measures to protect birds in the face of overdevelopment, extreme weather events, sea-level rise, and other climate change impacts. Now, with unprecedented funding available for Gulf restoration and a greater need for effective conservation, we鈥檙e implementing four strategies to protect, enhance, and rebuild bird habitat:

  • Monitoring of flagship and priority bird species
  • Strategic conservation planning and advocacy
  • Coastal conservation and restoration through collaborative partnerships and programs, like the 
  • Long-term stewardship

Comprehensive Gulf Restoration Plan

Here's our vision on how to protect birds and people of the Gulf of Mexico from threats like sea-level rise and storm surge, and to help the region recover from devastating hurricanes, the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history, and other environmental and human-made disasters. The projects and programs highlighted in this report will directly benefit key bird species, while setting the region on a path to long-term environmental health and resilience.
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Least Tern
Gulls and Terns

To make our coastal communities stronger and to protect habitat vital for birds and other wildlife, 探花精选 is recommending an investment of more than $1.7 billion dollars across the 5 Gulf states and regionally to fund a suite of 30 projects that are crucial to help the region鈥檚 birds recover.

探花精选 scientists identified over 8 million acres of suitable habitat for priority bird species across the Gulf that should be prioritized for restoration and conservation. These habitats include barrier and bay islands, headland beaches, intertidal bars and flats, and saltwater marshes and range from south Texas to the Florida panhandle.

Latest News
The Common Tern
Common Tern with chicks.
The Common Tern

Keeping nesting sites in the Boreal protected is an important part of reversing the impacts of events like the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Coasts and Oceans
Birds That Depend on a Healthy Gulf
! Priority Bird
Black Skimmer
Gulls and Terns
! Priority Bird
Snowy Plover
Plovers
! Priority Bird
Clapper Rail
Rails, Gallinules, Coots
! Priority Bird
Red Knot
Sandpipers
! Priority Bird
Least Tern
Gulls and Terns
! Priority Bird
Piping Plover
Plovers
! Priority Bird
Brown Pelican
Pelicans
! Priority Bird
Western Sandpiper
Sandpipers
! Priority Bird
American Oystercatcher
Oystercatchers
Semipalmated Plover
Plovers
! Priority Bird
Reddish Egret
Herons, Egrets, Bitterns
Black Tern
Gulls and Terns
Common Loon
Loons
Least Bittern
Herons, Egrets, Bitterns
! Priority Bird
Common Tern
Gulls and Terns
Bridled Tern
Gulls and Terns
探花精选's Shearwater
Shearwaters and Petrels