Private land conservation: a new and practical legal mechanism to protect shorebirds in Mexico

There is international concern about the future of shorebirds along the Pacific coast and highlands of Mexico, including critical species such as Marbled Godwit (Limosa fedoa), Snowy Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus), Mountain Plover (C. montanus), Upland Sandpiper (Bartramia longicauda), and Long-billed Curlew (Numenius americanus). In Mexico, Pronatura has begun a series of protection schemes that allows and enhances the continuity of biological processes in critical habitats for their survival. The National Private Land Conservation Program is a new option extending shorebird and habitat protection over heretofore unavailable lands.