Welcome to the American Falconry and Conservation network. AmFalCon is a platform through which citizens and government can gain a better understanding of falconry and the conservation work of falconers. By virtue of this work, and its unique cultural heritage, falconry is the Intangible Cultural Heritage most widely supported by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). This site has been created for the International Association for Falconry and Conservation of Birds of Prey (IAF), with help from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), as part of a process to safeguard falconry for UNESCO.
AmFalCon is primarily focused on how falconers utilize falconry principles and best practices to contribute to conservation. The work of falconers in the past, for instance to establish domestic breeding populations to restock areas where species had gone extinct in the past (Peregrines falcons in the DDT era, then California Condors and now Gyps vultures) can be seen as part of a culture of expert research-based innovation which is indispensable for conserving raptors. As an outward face to the world, AmFalCon provides the opportunity to share what we see and what we love, as falconers and conservationists.
As further innovation, IAF has launched communication networks, on the one hand to encourage work to conserve raptors, the prey and the ecosystems on which both depend, and on the other hand to tell the public about these activities. Thus, www.Sakernet.org and www.Perdixnet.org are examples of networks to promote research and best practice, while www.AmFalCon.org encourages understanding of falconry as well as conservation by falconers in the Americas. All three systems have hubs run by IAF and IUCN in the main languages of the countries involved, and also satellite sites in each language.