Important Bird Areas (IBA's) 

IBA's are an internationally-recognized system of identifying land parcels critical for preservation of birds and bird habitat.  This helps birds and with land-use decisions. 
We have four IBA's in the our region.  They are:
The Upper Verde River IBA
The Watson & Willow Lakes Ecosystem IBA
The Havasu National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) IBA
The Bill Williams River NWR IBA
To establish an IBA, applicants' data from surveys must prove that the region satisfies established criteria for bird conservation.  For example, the Willow & Watson Lakes IBA was certified as important wintering habitat for ducks. Other IBA's might certify as migration corridors, habitat for endangered species, or as a significant breeding area for a given bird species. 
We continue to provide survey data on our four IBA's to Audubon Southwest to ensure that our IBA's remain certified.