Avian Knowledge Alliance

The Avian Knowledge Alliance (AKA) is an international group of organizations dedicated to amassing, archiving, and communicating knowledge gained from the study of birds. The AKA brings together the unique capacities and roles of non‐government organizations (NGOs) with broad participation from government agencies, academic institutions and others.

Together, these organizations provide the following:

• Extensive involvement in ongoing monitoring of bird populations, including vital rates, using coordinated protocols, and sampling designs;

• Sophisticated shared data management infrastructure;

• Experience in data analysis and the design of Decision Support Tools;

• Information flow within the context of Strategic Conservation;

• Demonstrated improvements in efficiency and reductions in redundancy of efforts; and

• Commitment to the 10 principles of NABCI’s Opportunities for Improving Avian Monitoring and The Northeast Bird Monitoring Handbook.

Efforts are underway across North America to move away from independent, piecemeal efforts directing bird conservation to collectively improving bird monitoring. Much progress is being made, and many useful products are being delivered. As we collectively shift into the paradigm of landscape‐based, multi‐stakeholder conservation of bird populations, these success stories highlight how collective action is paramount for improving conservation design and delivery into the future.