New waterfowl guide for rice producers
Dec 18, 2008 10:29 AM
The USA Rice Foundation and Ducks Unlimited have produced a 180-page guide to foster the relationship between wildlife conservation, rice production and the environment.
The publication, Conservation in Ricelands of North America, was edited by Scott Manley, director of conservation programs for Ducks Unlimited.
Speaking at the USA Rice Outlook Conference in Little Rock, Manley said, The rice agriculture and conservation communities have a mutually beneficial and long-lasting relationship with shared interests in habitat management for wetland-dependent birds, sustainable rice production, and conservation of natural resources such as soil and water. The rice industry holds great conservation potential, and we hope this publication will aid in realizing that potential.
Manley spent several years working with 12 experts to research, summarize, and critique all known available data from more than 25 library databases, land grant university experiment station sources, and author-chosen venues on riceland conservation that 16 independent experts reviewed.
According to Manley, the guide had two primary goals to produce a summary document containing the current state of knowledge on riceland conservation and to map a course for future research and education programs to advance the compatibility between wildlife conservation, rice production, and the environment.
For a copy of the publication contact cwilson@usarice.com or smanley@ducks.org.
