About Us

What is the Atlantic Coast Joint Venture?

The Atlantic Coast Joint Venture (ACJV) is a partnership focused on the conservation of habitat for native birds in the Atlantic Flyway of the United States from Maine south to Puerto Rico. The joint venture is a partnership of the 18 states and commonwealths and key federal and regional habitat conservation agencies and organizations in the joint venture area. The joint venture was originally formed as a regional partnership focused on the conservation of waterfowl and wetlands under the North American Waterfowl Management Plan in 1988 and has since broadened its focus to the conservation of habitats for all birds consistent with major national and continental bird conservation plans and the North American Bird Conservation Initiative.

This joint venture includes a total area of 283 million acres (442,000 square miles) representing 12% of the total area of the United States. It is the most densely populated region in the United States with a total of over 105 million people living in the area.

There is a tremendous diversity of ecosystems and habitats in the joint venture area from the boreal forests and rocky coastline at the northern reaches of the joint venture in Maine to the tropical mangrove swamps and coral reefs of Florida and Puerto Rico to the south and from the rugged peaks of the Appalachian Mountains in the west to the low-lying Atlantic Coastal Plain with its many coastal rivers, bays and estuaries forming the joint venture's eastern boundary. The Atlantic Ocean coastline extends for 2,069 miles from Maine to Florida with a combined shoreline of all tidal areas along the coast adding up to 28,673 miles. The variety of habitats in the joint venture supports a high abundance and diversity of bird species including 37 native species of waterfowl, 40 species of shorebirds, 72 species of colonially-nesting waterbirds (including pelagic species) and over 200 landbird species.

Landcover types within the joint venture boundary.

Mission Statement

The Atlantic Coast Joint Venture will provide a forum for federal, state, regional and local partners to coordinate and improve the effectiveness of bird habitat conservation planning, delivery and evaluation in the Atlantic Flyway.

ACJV Strategy

The objectives, strategies and measures of achievement for the ACJV can be grouped into three major components: Biological Foundation, Conservation Coordination and Delivery, and Communication and Outreach. Each of these three components is described in the ACJV Strategic Plan approved in July, 2004. The plan contains the goal(s) of each component, objectives and strategies are described for reaching each goal and overall and annual measures of achievement. The Plan was recently updated and revised in 2009.

Download the ACJV Strategic Plan (2.67 MB Adobe pdf file)

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