VOA常速英语:A Century of U.S. - Canada Cooperation on Migratory Birds(翻译)

The skies of North America today provide the backdrop for celebrating a century of conservation of one group of Earth’s most treasured animals: migratory birds.
北美的天空今日成为了庆祝的背景，庆贺长达一个世纪以来对地球上最珍稀物种之一候鸟的保护。

On August 16, 1916, the United States and Great Britain (on behalf of Canada) signed the first Migratory Bird Treaty (known in Canada as a Convention) to protect these shared natural resources. The treaty was the first international agreement forged to protect wild birds and among the first to protect any wildlife species.
1916年8月16日，美国和英国（代表加拿大）签署了第一份《候鸟协议》（加拿大称之为《候鸟公约》），从而保护这些共享的自然资源。该协议是全球第一份旨在保护野生鸟类的协议、同时也是第一批保护野生动物的国际协议。

The Migratory Bird Treaty is the foundation for significant achievements in bird conservation that followed,with both nations enacting statutes to implement its provisions.In 1917, the Canadian Parliament passed the Migratory Bird Convention Act.In 1918, the U.S. Congress followed suit, passing the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. In subsequent years, the United States signed similar treaties with Mexico, Japan, and Russia.
这份《候鸟协议》是自那以后鸟类保护行动中多项重要成果的基础，美国和加拿大都制定了法律章程来执行协议的规定。1917年，加拿大议会通过了《候鸟公约法案》。1918年，美国国会也效仿加拿大的做法，通过了《候鸟协议法案》。在随后多年里，美国和墨西哥、日本、以及俄罗斯也签署了类似的协议。

“Our two countries’ conservation efforts have yielded real results, especially for waterfowl populations.I am proud of the work we have done, but as the recent release of The State of North America’s Birds report has shown,we have a challenging road ahead,” said Catherine McKenna, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada.“I know we are up to the task, and I look forward to building on our successes, together, to recover other migratory bird species.”
“我们两国的保护行动已经取得了实效，特别是在对水禽种群的保护上。我对我们所做工作感到无比自豪，但是正如最近发布的《北美国家鸟类报告》所指出的那样，等在我们面前的是一条充满挑战的道路，”加拿大环境和气候变化部长凯瑟琳·麦肯纳如是说道。我知道我们可以胜任这份职责，并且我希望在我们已经取得的成功的基础之上，携手共进，恢复其他的候鸟种群。”

“It’s hard to imagine the North American continent without egrets, ducks, hawks or songbirds, but at the turn of the 20th century, that’s the way things were looking,” said Dan Ashe, Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which has responsibility for conserving and managing migratory birds and their habitats across the United States.
“现在很难想象北美大陆如果没有白鹭、野鸭、老鹰和百灵鸟的话会是一番什么景象，但是在二十世纪之交，事实的确是这样，” 美国鱼类及野生动物管理局局长丹·阿什如是说道。美国鱼类及野生动物管理局负责保护和管理美国全境的候鸟及其栖息地。

“This treaty marked a turning point in the fate of our shared bird life, and it continues to this day to unite efforts in the United States and Canada to protect our shared birds across our international boundaries.”
“这份协议标志着这些我们共有鸟类的命运转折点，直至今日这份协议仍然在集聚美国和加拿大的努力，跨越两国的国境线来保护我们共同拥有的鸟儿。”