Ducks

Because the populations of ducks and other waterfowl have been badly depleted by overhunting and habitat loss, conservation has become a high priority for governments and some private agencies. In North America, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Canadian Wildlife Service have responsibilities for waterfowl at the federal level, as do states and provinces at the regional level. Ducks Unlimited is a non-governmental organization whose central concern is the conservation of duck populations. The Ducks Unlimited mandate is mostly pursued by raising and spending money to increase duck productivity through habitat management, with an aim of providing more birds for hunters. Other organizations have a non-consumptive mandate that is partly relevant to ducks, for example, the World Wildlife Fund, The Nature Conservancy, and the Nature Conservancy of Canada. On the international stage, the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, Especially as Waterfowl Habitat is a treaty among national governments intended to facilitate worldwide cooperation in the conservation of wetlands, thereby benefiting ducks and other wildlife.

All of these agencies are undertaking important activities on behalf of ducks, other animals, and natural ecosystems. However, duck populations are still much smaller than they used to be, and some species are endangered. Much more must be done to provide the ducks of North America and the world with the protection and habitat that they require.