DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.25971499.v1
title: IMBAD: International Migratory Bird Agreements Database

description: Successful conservation of migratory birds relies on coordinated management across international borders. By establishing the <b>International Migratory Bird Agreements Database (IMBAD)</b>, we determine the geographic and taxonomic coverage of international agreements aimed at protecting migratory birds. We identified 49 International Migratory Bird Agreements (IMBAs), spanning 187 countries and covering 1,677 (86%) of the world’s 1,958 migratory bird species.The full <b>IMBAD</b> dataset in the excel file "<i>International Migratory Bird Agreements Database (IMBAD)" </i>contains data on 7 subsections:Table of Contents: In this tab you can find a description of the different columns and rows of the following tabs.List of IMBAs: In this tab you can find a summary of the different 49 IMBAs, containing information on the IMBA's (i) assigned number, (ii) most commonly used name, (iii) date of establishment, (iv) bilateral or multilateral nature, (v) number of participant countries, (vi) geographical scope at a continental level, (vii) number of migratory bird species implicitly covered, (viii) number of migratory bird species implicitly and explicitly covered, and (ix) source.IMBAs vs Countries: In this tab you can find information on the participant countries that are part of the different IMBAs, as well as the specific country's ISO Alpha-2 and ISO Alpha-3 codes, and capital. The list of countries is made up of 195 counties, dependencies and overseas territories have been excluded since there is much variation in whether IMBAs signed by the mainland country are relevant or implemented.IMBAs vs Species (Dataset 1): In this tab you can find information on the migratory bird species that are implicitly covered by the different IMBAs, listed by scientific and common name according to the taxonomic system used by BirdLife International, as well as the species' family and IUCN Red List category (Not Evaluated [NE], Data Deficient [DD], Least Concern [LC], Near Threatened [NT], Vulnerable [VU], Endangered [EN], Critically Endangered [CR], Extinct in the Wild [EW], and Extinct [EX]). Species covered by an IMBA are given the value of "1" (cell is highlighted in green for visual aid), while species that are not covered are given a value of "0". Some species are covered by more than one annex in the same IMBA, caution for oversampling when analysing the data.IMBAs vs Species (Dataset 2): In this tab you can find information on the migratory bird species that are implicitly covered and explicitly covered by higher taxa such as families and orders by the different IMBAs, listed by scientific and common name according to the taxonomic system used by BirdLife International, as well as the species' family and IUCN Red List category (Not Evaluated [NE], Data Deficient [DD], Least Concern [LC], Near Threatened [NT], Vulnerable [VU], Endangered [EN], Critically Endangered [CR], Extinct in the Wild [EW], and Extinct [EX]). Species covered by an IMBA are given the value of "1" (cell is highlighted in green for visual aid; red numbers are explicitly covered species, new datapoints compared to "IMBAs vs Species (Dataset 1)"), while species that are not covered are given a value of "0". Some species are covered by more than one annex in the same IMBA, caution for oversampling when analysing the data.Species vs Range Countries: In this tab you can find information on the countries where migratory bird species naturally occur throughout their migration. Species included in this dataset have their origin categorized as "native" by BirdLife Data Zone under the "Country/territory distribution" subcategory of the "Data table and detailed info" tab (https://datazone.birdlife.org/home). Countries can be part of a species' breeding, passing, and/or wintering range. Vagrant species are not taken into account.Dataset 1 vs Dataset 2: In this tab you can find information on the differences between Dataset 1 and Dataset 2 regarding the number of migratory bird species within each order covered in each dataset, as well as in comparison with the total number of migratory bird species occurring in the order. Each order is categorized as containing (i) passerine or non-passerine migratory bird species, and (ii) Waterbird or non-waterbird migratory bird species.Subsections 3 to 7 can also be found as the following freestanding csv files: 3. "<i>IMBAD_IMBAs_vs_Countries</i>", 4. "<i>IMBAD_IMBAs_vs_Species_Dataset1</i>", 5. "<i>IMBAD_IMBAs_vs_Species_Dataset2</i>", 6. "<i>IMBAD_Species_vs_RangeCountries</i>", and 7. "<i>IMBAD_Dataset1_vs_Dataset2</i>".<br><b>IMBAD</b> is the result of the following peer-reviewed manuscript:<b>Corella Tor, M., Amano, T., and Fuller, R. A. (accepted at FEE). Spatial and Taxonomic Coverage of International Migratory Bird Agreements.</b> *Please, consult this manuscript for more information on how we have (i) determined the geographic and taxonomic gaps in the coverage of IMBAs, and (ii) identified factors associated with the number of IMBAs a country has entered into or by which a species is covered. The code to reproduce the analyses can be found in the pdf file "<i>IMBAD_RCode</i>".<br><sub>*This citation will be updated as soon as the manuscript is published.</sub>