The purpose of the second virtual workshop in the Road to Recovery sequence was to build a vision for new science on priority species that focuses on identifying linked populations, understanding limiting factors, and pinpointing specific causes of decline.

The workshop convened over 300 virtual attendees to hear from experts on tools and analyses for determining migratory connectivity, measuring population demographics and vital rates, and putting it all together to identify specific causes of decline for linked populations.

This workshop re-emphasized the need to focus the science on individual declining species, and even on discrete linked populations within species. Many case studies described substantial variation in population trends, limiting demographic factors, and causes of decline across species ranges and among distinctly linked breeding and non-breeding populations. If certain populations are declining while others are stable or increasing, and if declines are being driven by different environmental factors in different parts of a species’ range, then recovering populations may require distinct, locally- relevant management prescriptions.