The Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy (Strategy) is one component of Florida's Wildlife Legacy Initiative (Initiative), which is a program designed to create a strategic vision for conserving all of Florida's wildlife. The other two main components of the Initiative are partnership development and Florida's State Wildlife Grants Program. The state of Florida has an unprecedented opportunity to shape the future of fish and wildlife conservation efforts. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (Commission) is developing a long-range strategy for managing all wildlife in Florida, including birds, with the aim of averting future declines and keeping common species common. The Strategy will build a foundation for future wildlife conservation that will be solidified by opportunities for funding. The Strategy will address conservation issues, management needs and priorities, and will be a stimulus to engage conservation partners to think about their individual and coordinated roles. Florida's Initiative is committed to building partnerships across the state of Florida to promote wildlife conservation. The Commission is working with other agencies, organizations, businesses, and individuals with an interest in conserving wildlife. Cooperation will help focus efforts on high priority conservation needs and will lead to ecologically sensible and financially responsible actions to prevent wildlife declines. The Commission is utilizing Strategy development as a unique opportunity for partnership building. Florida's State Wildlife Grants Program will support Strategy development and implementation by providing a financial stimulus through a matching grants program. This program provides support for projects that address conservation needs identified in Florida's Strategy. Addressing these conservation needs will benefit the full array of Florida's wildlife and their habitats and will lead to an integrated and holistic approach to wildlife conservation across the state. Florida's Strategy identifies 104 avian species of greatest conservation need (SGCN). These species have been associated within the appropriate array of the 45 habitat categories based upon their ecology and life history needs. Conservation strategies target these habitat categories, thus benefiting all avian and other species within them. Monitoring efforts focus on assessing the status of all SGCN, including birds, within each habitat category and calculating the total area of each habitat category. Key words: avian, CWCS, bird, Florida, strategy, wildlife conservation NO PAPER WAS SUBMITTED WITH THIS ABSTRACT.
