The objective of this project was to digitally map the boundaries of
Audubon California's Important Bird Areas (IBA). Existing Important Bird
Areas identify critical terrestrial and inland water habitats for
avifauna, in particular, habitat that supports rare, threatened or
endangered birds and/or exceptionally large congregations of shorebirds
and/or waterfowl. The digitization of Important Bird Areas represents
an important first step in conservation planning of these critical
habitats using GIS. As of October 2007, a draft layer of all 148
Important Bird Areas in California was completed. Currently, a review
is in progress with Audubon Chapters and local experts, with a final
version completed by Nov. 1, 2008. The final map and data will be
released to the public in November, 2008.