Autor: Admin Paul

Tuesday 16 March 2010.

On 30 May the presidential elections will be called in our country and on that day we will have the opportunity to choose the candidate who best fits our ideas and needs. However, we must not forget the obligation of governments to protect and preserve natural and ecological resources; it’s a global clamor, from which we Colombians can not be alien to. To this end the Environment Alliance Pact in Colombia has been created.

This initiative, led by Fundación Malpelo and Conservation International – Colombia, seeks to mobilize Colombians to sign the agreement and ask the future president of the republic that the overcoming of the environmental crisis is incorporated as the center piece of his government’s program and development plan 2010-2014.

Presidential Candidates

The Pact seeks public debate about 12 specific target approaches in which the candidates in which the environmental crisis and its solution takes the forefront of the presidential campaign and in the decision of the Colombians.

What does the Environment Alliance Pact ask of Colombians?

Colombians are called to express concern about issues such as climate change, ecosystem destruction, air, soil and water pollution, species extinction, global warming etc, these are manifestations of the global environmental crisis of the persistence of an economic model and a way of life that cause this crisis. This is done through the signing of accession to the Pact and pledging ourselves to know the candidates’ proposals on the Pact and Environment to evaluate them before deciding our vote.

What does the Environmental Pact to the presidential candidates?

1. A written undertaking, solemn, for which the candidate expresses his/her willingness to act and to make ecology a national priority.

2. His/her proposals around 12 Objectives raised by the Environment Alliance Pact of Colombia.

3. To speak out in political debates, in public settings, in academia and in press conferences and news sites on the objectives of the Environment Alliance Pact of Colombia and propose policies and actions that take place in his/her government to achieve them.

When the presidential candidates express their commitment and views we Colombians can judge their knowledge, environmental vocation, the relevance of their proposals and the expected goals of each of them and when we decide to vote we can vote wisely.

The 12 objectives of the Colombian Environment Alliance Pact fall within the following fields:

– Economy
– Energy
– Agriculture and rural
– Territory
– Transportation
– Fiscal
– Biodiversity
– Health
– Research
– International Politics
– Fishing activities
– Education

Visit the website of the alliance: www.pactoambientalcolombia.com

We invite all Colombians to participate and be part of the Alliance signed the agreement at the following link www.pactoambientalcolombia.com / vincularse.html

Colombian entities Alliance members:

Friday 21 May 2010.

The bird is called Grallaria fenwickorum (“Fenwick’s Antpitta” in English and “Tororoi de Urrao” in Spanish), in honor of the President of American Bird Conservancy (ABC), George Fenwick, and his family for their unconditional commitment to the conservation of birds in Colombia.

“I am deeply honored by this appointment. I know it reflects equally the contributions of my family and the organization ABC (American Bird Conservancy), who have promoted many sound conservation efforts for birds in Colombia,” said Dr. George Fenwick.

“I am particularly pleased that this effort was achieved without the loss of the bird’s life. Rare and special birds like this should not be sacrificed in this process,” he added.

“This family and ABC have done much in the last 8 years on behalf of the Colombian bird conservation, and I look forward to the continuation of these great achievements for decades to come,” said Ambassador Barco.

The hostess of honor was Wendy Paulson, who is a leading conservationist in DC. Dr. George H. Fenwick president of American Bird Conservancy also attended. On behalf of ProAves were present David Caro, Executive Director, Alonso Quevedo, Director General, Eliane Arzuza, Director of Development and Cristian Olaciregui, Assistant Director of Protected Areas (Caribbean).

This event was an excellent opportunity to showcase the important work that is being carried out by ProAves and the recognition and support it receives abroad.

Tuesday 20 July 2010.

“Colombia: Paradise of Biodiversity”

20 July 2010 is a special date: the 200th anniversary of the declaration of independence of Colombia. This occasion has been especially celebrated in Britain, a country which supported Colombia’s independence movement financially and militarily and where Simon Bolivar planned his independence struggle. The Natural History Museum in London hosted an event on 19 July 2010 entitled “Colombia: Paradise of Biodiversity” as part of the celebrations. This was introduced by Colombia’s ambassador to the UK, HE Mauricio Rodriguez and Natural History Museum director of science, Dr. Richard Lane. Among the 200 guests attending included former President of Colombia, Belisario Betancur.

Blanca Huertas, the butterfly curator of the Natural History Museum, gave an illustrated and animated talk about Colombia’s unrivalled biodiversity, landscapes and habitats and the work of the Natural History Museum with the country, as well as her work with butterflies in South America. Thomas Donegan of ProAves then gave a talk about Colombia’s birds and their conservation, highlighting the conservation achievements of ProAves and giving attendees a preview of the forthcoming Field Guide to the Birds of Colombia. Afterwards, there was a wine reception for all participants. ProAves and EcoTurs were also represented in the event by Robert Giles and Angela Gómez.

On 20 July there was a celebratory meeting with MPs in the UK’s Houses of Parliament, followed by lunch at the Royal Automobile Club in London, at which Belisario Betancur gave a speech about the influence and thought leadership of the botanist Jose Celestino Mutis in the years prior to Colombia’s independence. These events were a wonderful way to celebrate Colombia’s greatest treasure – its biodiversity – on this important occasion. ProAves would like to thank the Natural History Museum, Colombian Embassy in the UK and ProExport for organising these occasions and allowing us to participate in them.

Thanks to:

Thursday 10 November 2011.

Wetlands are ecosystems of great importance; they are regulators of the water cycle, control and prevent flooding, contribute to the recharge and discharge from aquifers, retain sediments and nutrients and act as reservoirs. Unfortunately, global warming, pollution, the buildings around them, the dumping of garbage, debris and household spills constitute a major threat to wetlands in Bogotá endangering the species that inhabit these ecosystems.

During these days of bird watching the wetlands of Jaboque, in the locality of Engativá, El Burro, in the locality of Kennedy, Cordoba and La Conejera, in the locality of Suba were visited. There, attendees were able to recognize the plant and animal species that inhabit these places; they also developed recreational and educational activities, emphasizing the importance of protecting these ecosystems.

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Wetlands are home to more than 200 species of birds, including 4 endemic: the Apolinar’s Wren (Cistothorus apolinari), the Spot-flanked Gallinule (Gallinula melanops), the Bogotá Rail (Rallus semiplumbeus) and the Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis).

86 species of migratory birds seek food and refuge in the wetlands of the Savannah of Bogotá: Blue-winged tead (Anas discors), Purple Gallinule (Porphyrio martinica), Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes) and Solitary Sandpiper (Tringa solitari).

Unfortunately, the species most affected by the deplorable conditions found in the wetlands are the birds, especially migratory birds, they travel thousands of miles from their breeding sites in North America or the southern tip of South America to meet highly contaminated, damaged ecosystems, addressing this concern, ProAves supported by Loro Parque Fundación in conjunction with Fundación Humedales, conducted these activities in order that we recognize the importance of conserving and protecting them.

Tuesday 8 November 2011.

Throughout the month of October various activities were developed to highlight the festivities, and generate a greater commitment to the protection of biodiversity among the population of Jardín.

Among the main activities can be highlighted: ecological workshops at Bird Friendly Schools, radio programs and spots, televised note on the community channel, painting competitions, contests of knowledge, observation race for children and youths, and an information stand in the town’s main park.

A highlight of the activities involved the painting contest on Migratory Birds and the Yellow-eared Parrot in the context of the activity “Painting in the Park”, for this, there was a professional jury made up of two painters from the town and Ana Cristina Velásquez, ProAves environmental educator. The top three designs were chosen according to creativity, aesthetics and message of the drawing.

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The winners took several awards including Anchetas, thanks to donations made by traders in the town. Approximately 920 people participated in the Festivals, including the student community of Jardín.

In the municipality of Génova, Department of Quindío, Colombia, the 7th Fuertes’s Parrot Festival took place. Some of the activities which people participated in were visits to important community landmarks and to both rural and urban schools. Workshops motivating community involvement in biodiversity conservation efforts were also offered. More than 1,000 children participated in this event, which gave the children reason to learn about, value and protect their environment.

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The purpose of these festivals is to promote community interest in the understanding of migratory birds, the Yellow-eared Parrot and Fuertes’s Parrot as well the importance of conserving their habitat. It also seeks to strengthen and consolidate a network of organizations and individuals committed to the conservation of birds in our country.

With the support of:

Jardín (Antioquia)

Génova (Quindío)

Monday 28 November 2011.

The Ecoguide course was conducted in order to train our forest guardians along with people of influence from the communities invloved in the YARÉ II Project (San Vicente de Chucuri and Zapatoca, Santander). The course stressed ecological stewardship with an emphasis on bird watching and knowledge and tools for how communities in this area could benefit from ecotourism in the region and especially the up and coming EcoRoute the “Lengerke Road”. The course trained a total of 23 people belonging to different organizations in the area.

The course also covered topics such as: the importance of birds, identification of different families and species of birds in the field, skills and abilities of a guide, group management, use and maintenance of observation equipment, basic knowledge of English and first aid.

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The event began with a meeting attended by representatives from 11 institutions and organizations of San Vincente de Chucurí such as: the City Hall, Parques Nacionales, Corporación Autónoma de Santander, Comité de Cacaoteros y Cafeteros, Educational Institutions and tourism, and the Servicio Nacional de Aprendizaje SENA – Bucaramanga branch. Similarly, there was a presentation from Fundación ProAves, EcoTurs and results and successes obtained during the YARÉ II Project. A socialization of the EcoRoute”Lengerke Road” and the mini guide of the Serranía de los Yariguíes was also conducted to enhance ecotourism strategies for the region.

One of the themes of the course consisted in implementing theoretical basis for guiding tourists, focused specifically on ecotourism and birding, conservation, management of field teams, use of field guides and field practices in birding and group management for local guides. A strategy a forest guardian was allocated to each local guide so that their previous experience would support them for better learning.

In addition, each organization was given the Guide to the Birds of Colombia in Spanish and each individual recieved a course manual, as part of the important material for the development of the training and learning of the participants.

At the end of the environmental guidance course, our forest guardians and the local communities were very satisfied with what they learned, and they expressed interest in participating in more training by ProAves in the future. Also through the results of the YARÉ II Project and the Lengerke Road Recovery they were encouraged to create actions for the conservation and maintenance of the this tourist attracion for the long term, as a product that will be important for ecotourism in the coming years.

The YARÉ II Project “Evaluation and Research of Endangered Species in the Serranía de los Yariguíes” by Fundación ProAves, won the Follow-Up Awards 2010 prize by the Conservation Leadership Programme.

With the support of:

Healthy Planet’s Adopt a plot

Healthy Planet was created to inspire, motivate and support individuals and businesses around the world to make a difference to themselves, their children and the planet.

Through Healthy Planet, you can support conservation by adopting a plot in the Giles Fuertesi Reserve. We need your help to protect and restore 368 acres of critical cloud forest habitat to save one of the most endangered parrots in the world, the Fuertes’s Parrot. To donate click here.  

With the help of Healthy Planet’s land adoption projects, ProAves managed to acquire around 3000 acres of some of the last remaining humid lowland forest in the Magdalena Valley. This protected habitat is known as the “El Paujil Nature Reserve”. Aside from birds, the reserve is one of the last refuges for several species of endangered and endemic lowland forest animals, including the Variegated Spider Monkey (one of the 25 rarest primates on earth), the Magdalena Lowland Tapir, and the Fallox Robber Frog. You can read the whole story at www.healthyplanet.org 

Friday 18 November 2011.

The use of camera traps has allowed us to make records of species that are not easily observed, as in the case of large mammals such as the Andean bear (Tremarctos ornatus) VU. This is the only bear species found in South America and due to the degradation and destruction of their habitat, the Andean bear is listed as one of the carnivores most prone to extinction. Another problem facing the species is a lack of scientific data for local distribution and status within the Andes, making it difficult to monitor and asses changes in distribution and to establish realistic and effective actions for their conservation.

The Spectacled bear has a geographic distribution that extends along the tropical Andes and utilizes a wide variety of habitats between 250 and 4,750m above sea level. The El Paujil Bird Reserve is located within this altitudinal range in the Middle Magdalena Valley between the Departments of Boyacá and Santander, Colombia.

For two years we have used camera trap stations within the framework of Saving the Critically Endangered Blue-billed Curassow and Brown Spider Monkey Project to monitor the Blue Billed Curassow with support from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. During surveys conducted during August 2011 the presence of an individual Tremarctos ornatus was recorded at 300m above sea level at 9:46 am, along one of the paths used for research in the reserve.

Spectacled bear (Tremarctos ornatus)

The existence of the El Paujil Natural Bird Reserve allows this species, whose population is estimated at less than 20,000 individuals in Colombia, to make use of more than 14,800 acres of healthy forest in the Serranía de las Quinchas and the Colombian Middle Magdalena. These images allow for recording charismatic species as the spectacled bear in time to make conservation decisions in this area, creating connectivity between habitats that hopefully ensure its survival as a species over time.

The organizing committee of the I Colombian Congress of Mammalogy “a multivariate in depth look at the Colombian mammalogy,” by the Colombian Society of Mammalogy (SCMas) and the Technological University of Chocó, accepted as oral presentation, the work entitled: Project YARÉ II: Investigation of the mammals of the Serranía de los Yariguíes and their conservation by Diana Carolina Villanueva, a mammalogy researcher at YARÉ and project coordinator.

The research was presented before an audience of more than 400 people from the scientific community, explaining the methodologies used and the most important results like the record of 62 species grouped in nine orders and 25 families, of which nine species are included on the IUCN list with some kind of vulnerability, nine are in Appendix III, 12 in Appendix II and six species in Appendix I according to CITES.

The study of the fauna and flora of the Serranía de los Yariguíes of the project YARÉ, provided, in the first phase, conducted in 2005-2006, key information for the establishment of protected areas; in phase two 2010-2011 conservation strategies are being developed such as creating a conservation corridor, environmental education with children from rural schools, community work in reforestation with native trees and the recovery of the Lengerke path as an ecotourism strategy. During the congress socialization of the project was also conducted with the explanation and delivery of educational material in a more personalized manner.

Socialization of the YARÉ Project to participants of the First Colombian Congress of Mammalogy.

The Colombian Congress of Mammalogy gave an important space to the entire scientific community interested in the study of mammals to socialize their research, receive feedback and suggestions from experts on the topic, provide key insights for the study of this group and identify the need to involve other fields of knowledge in the investigation of Colombian mammalogy. For the project YARÉ the conference was an important place to make known to the scientific community studies in mammals in the Seranía de los Yariguíes and conservation strategies that are being developed for the conservation of endangered species, as well as getting to know the interest of different students in conducting research in the Serranía from the results in the YARÉ project.

YARÉ ll project “Research and Evaluation of Endangered Species of the Serranía de los Yariguíes” was winner of the Follow-Up Awards 2010 by the Conservation Leadership Programme 

Delivery of posters to attendees of Project YARÉ II and the Festival del Paujil at the I Colombian Congress of Mammalogy.

With the support of:

The “Threatened Parrots Festival” hatched in 2002 with the objectives of transmitting to communities the importance of the environment and with goals to seek out conservation strategies for threatened and endemic parrots within the Municipality of Génova, Quindío, Colombia.

Starting this year, the festival will now be known as the “Fuertes’s Parrot Festival” thanks to the agreement establishing the parrot as the Municipality of Génova, Quindío, symbol for the environment, during “Culture Week” when traditional activities are celebrated.

Throughout the month of October, educational and leisure activities revolving around environmental issues will be developed allowing the integration and participation of the community. A specific emphasis will be placed on threatened and endemic species which share their habitat with the Fuertes’s Parrot.

FESTIVAL MAIN ACTIVITIES

October 4, main day of the festival.

FASHION SHOW – CARNIVAL: 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. The all in one party. Costumes, masks, stilts, and dancing.

Each participant will have a mask representing a species living near the city of Génova. In this parade, different groups representing the cultural events developed by the municipality, will aim to encourage young people to participate in the festival. Prizes will be awarded for the best two masks.

ACTIVITIES AT THE MAIN CITY PARK: 11:00 am – 1:00 p.m. Performing arts, environmental groups, rural and urban schools.

“INTERPRETATION OF THE LAND, THE CULTURE AND THE GENOVÉS ENVIRONMENT”: 2:30 to 5:00 pm

During this part of the festival, children, youth and adults will be involved and teams of five contestants will visit five stations (in a predetermined order by the organizing committee) and complete (as a team) every puzzle and exercise located in each unique station.

NIGHT OF MYTHS AND LEGENDS:

Dim lights, dead leaves, a palms imperceptible movement, breathing quickens. Something dwells between the seats, behind the trees, under the sinks, something that is part human, part natural, sometimes in the present, but mostly in the past. Myths and legends invade on the night of October 4, 2011. The so called PATASOLA, THE HOJARASQUERO, La Llorona, the Madremonte, occupy the bodies of children and youth as Genovese’s race to live another day in the memories of Colombians.

With the support of:

	Génova (Quindío)

Thursday 1 September 2011.

ProAves and EcoTurs are proud to announce that we again represented Colombia at the world’s largest international bird watching event! This is the 5th year that we have been at the Birdfair promoting the conservation work of ProAves and incredible birding opportunities EcoTurs offers in Colombia.

This is an excellent opportunity for us to directly reach a wide audience of birdwatchers and let them know how birding with EcoTurs directly supports the conservation of Colombia’s most imperiled species.

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This year we featured the upgraded infrastructure at five of our flagship bird reserves, the Women for Conservation Project and our recently released Field Guide to the Birds of Colombia.

About 600 people visited the stand and the Women for Conservation Project more than doubled last year’s sales! We plan to continue our presence at the Birdfair next year to continue strengthening old contacts and making new ones.

A very special thanks to ProExport Colombia and everybody who helped make this event such a great success!

With support of:

Published edition Conservación Colombiana No. 15. The PDF is available here.

Fundación ProAves has publishes selected papers from the 15th volume of its scientific journal Conservación Colombiana, The print edition will be available on 31 October 2011. This edition includes no less than five scientific papers discussing records of new bird species for Colombia, plus its now annual paper on revisions to Checklist of the Birds of Colombia. Together, these publications document that a total of 1,889 bird species occur in Colombia.

The “Checklist of the birds of Colombia” has been annually maintained by ProAves since 2007 and with the same lead author since its first publication in 2001. The number of bird species recorded in Colombia has climbed from 1,869 species in 2007 to 1871 species in 2009, 1,879 in 2010, and now 1889 in October 2011. This increase is despite the removal of several species based on dubious old or unsupported records and taxonomic reviews resulting in the ‘lumping’ of various species during this period. The recent glut of newly recorded species for the country has resulted from greater birdwatching and ornithological activity in Colombia following the return of security to many regions, resulting in new records and findings relevant to taxonomy. It seems likely, at this rate, that Colombia will become the first country in the world to break through the 1,900 bird species barrier within the next two years. ProAves is announcing a prize for the person that confirms the 1,900th bird species for Colombia!

Colombia officially remains the most diverse country for birds on the planet, with second and third placed countries Peru and Brazil considered to hold 1,834 and 1,785 bird species each, respectively.

The checklist revision paper in Conservación Colombiana provides a comprehensive peer-reviewed update on the birdlife of Colombia. Five new species recorded in Colombia include the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius) and Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (Tyrannus forficatus) – both new records for South America of nearctic migrants, while Rufous-breasted Wood-Quail (Odontophorus speciosus), White-bellied Parrot (Pionites leucogaster) and Masked Water-tyrant Fluvicola nengeta are new confirmed records for Colombia of species previously known to occur in northern Ecuador. A review of the Thrush-like Manakins or Schiffornis is presented, which concludes that at least five species should be recognised in this group, three of which occur in Colombia. Other new records and splits published in the literature are also discussed.

The 15th volume of Conservación Colombiana also contains a paper on the rediscovery of the Santa Marta Tree-Rat or Toro (Santamartamys rufodorsalis) after 113 years in ProAves’ El Dorado Nature Reserve, following-up on the news flash of the rediscovery in May 2011. A study of the population of Brown-throated Parakeet (Aratinga pertinax) on San Andrés island concludes that subspecies aeruginosa of northern Colombia has been introduced to the Caribbean region for the first time.

Fundación ProAves has also published detailed information on the conservation status of 16 bird species found in Colombia based on research by its staff and researchers mostly in the ProAves reserve network. This data was previously presented to BirdLife International and the IUCN for purposes of their threatened species status review process in 2010-2011. ProAves recommended upgrading the status of two endemics of Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (Black-backed Thornbill Ramphomicron dorsale [LC] and Santa Marta Wren Troglodytes monticola [VU]) whose precarious status had previously been overlooked. Critically Endangered status was recommended for two species largely only known from ProAves’ Colibri del Sol Bird Reserve in western Antioquia Dept (Fenwick’s Antpitta Grallaria fenwickorum and Paramillo Tapaculo Scytalopus canus). Recently, IUCN red list coordinator for birds, BirdLife International, concurred with the majority of our assessments and upgraded both the Santa Marta Wren and Fenwick’s Antpitta to Critically Endangered redlist status and Paramillo Tapaculo and Black-backed Thornbill to Endangered status – all of which were either major changes or new for the IUCN redlist. Sadly, there are now 95 Globally Threatened bird species occurring in Colombia (up from 78 in 2001) and 63 Near-threatened species (up from 43 in 2001).

If you would like to contribute data for the checklist for next year’s review or have other new records on Colombian birds, please email  fundacion@proaves.org

You can buy the 2010 checklist online here . An updated Excel version of the checklist will also shortly be available online for researchers and birders.

Conservación Colombiana is published with the support of:

Make a donation and help save it! We need YOUR support to stop deforestation in the Magdalena valley and educate local people to stop killing mothers with infants. There is so much to be done and so little time remaining.

Tragically, the wonderful Spider monkey is targeted by hunters, who frequently shoot and kill mothers with infants. The infants cling in desperation and shock to their dead mothers as they fall from the canopy and lie on the ground… the hunters then walk over and grab the helpless infants from their dead or dieing mothers. Infant Magdalena Spider monkeys are sold as pets for around US$50.

“True benevolence or compassion, extends through all existence and understands the suffering of any creature capable of feeling.” Joseph Addison. At the bottom, you can find where your donation goes, and how it supports this wonderful cause.

The Magdalena Spider Monkey (Ateles hybridus), one of the largest primates in the America’s, needs your help. It has lost 98% of its habitat and considered the primate at great risk of extinction in the America’s. Its sole secure protected area in Colombia is ProAves’ 7,000 acre El Paujil Bird Reserve in Boyaca and Santander departments.

Locally known as “Choibo” or “Mono Araña”, the Magdalena Spider Monkey is Critically Endangered and endemic to Colombia and western Venezuela. It lives in the tropical forests of the Magdalena Valley, where the species has lost 98% of its habitat due to deforestation and habitat fragmentation, while facing daily threats from hunting that endanger their survival. Their vulnerability is further exposed due to the low density of its population and slow reproduction (8 month pregnancy and one young every 3 years).

The project and the people.

One of the most important aspects of our project is to involve local people. It is critical that we involve and train local people as they hold a major key to finding the solution and saving the spider monkey. Developing community outreach, education, participation and training is vital. We also hope to form leaders in the field of biology and conservation, by supported Colombian students to participate in this project.

Where does my donation go?

We urgently need support to train and educate poor rural communities whose actions directly impact on the Spider Monkey around the El Paujil Bird Reserve and across the Magdalena valley. Our dedicated team of conservationists urgent needs funds for education materials and local transport costs. Through environmental outreach materials, workshops and alternative income opportunities we can make a real impact at helping save this special species for their future, and for our future.

With your help, you will make a real difference to saving the Magdalena Spider Monkey.

To make your donation click aquí

For more information contact Nate Skinner, Director of Development.

E-mail: nskinner@proaves.org

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The Magdalena Spider Monkey Ateles hybridus in his natural habitat – El Paujil Bird Reserve.

Friday 5 December 2008.

ProAves is pleased to announce that it has been admitted as a formal member of IUCN – the International Union for Conservation of Nature following approval during the 70th meeting of the IUCN Council, and announced at the World Conservation Congress, held October 5-14 in Barcelona, Spain.

ProAves is proud to join IUCN, the world’s oldest and largest environmental network and comprises more than 1,000 government and non-governmental organisations and more than 11,000 volunteers in over 160 countries.

IUCN helps find practical solutions to our most pressing environmental and development challenges. It supports scientific research, manages field projects around the world and helps governments, NGOs, UN agencies, companies and local communities developing and implementing policies, laws and best practices.

It is a leading global authority on environmental issues and sustainable development; as such, it produces the Red List of Endangered Species, which is a major focus of the work ProAves undertakes. IUCN is governed by a board elected every four years by its member organizations during the World Conservation Congress of IUCN and is based in Gland, Switzerland.

Monday 16 February 2009.

On January 3-7, 2009, the ProAves Council met with senior ProAves staff in Reserva Natural de las Aves El Dorado,  to plan the future five years of the Foundation with a five year strategic plan, 2009-2013. The draft plan was designed in a previous meeting of ProAves staff and refined over the three day meeting.

The ProAves Advisory Council is composed of 15 members with diverse experience and from various organizations and companies, and is elected by ProAves assemble members. Council members present included Robert Giles (President of the Council), Juan Lázaro Toro, Dr Nigel Collar, Ignacio Góngora, Dr Paul Salaman, Fabio Arjona, Thomas Donegan, Rita Fenwick, and Byron Swift (on behalf of Dr Robert Ridgely).

The meeting consisted in an overview of ProAves by staff directors of the organizational, conservation, research, environmental education and communications areas, and discussed the vision and priorities for ProAves. Sessions continued with a two-day review of the 5-year ProAves strategy plan.

Evening presentations included themes of finance, funding and opportunities by the Executive Director, Sara Inés Lara and a presentation about ecotourism by EcoTurs. Council members also met to define its future directions and establish its rules and regulations.

This planning is extremely important as ProAves completes ten year of conservation and looks ahead to another decade. The immediate future will be critical for conservation as Colombia’s rapidly changing social and economic situation may accelerate the loss of the most important remnants of natural habitat in the Andes and Chocó regions. However, we were humbled looking back at the past five year plan (2003-2008) as our conservation achievements exceeded our greatest expectations.

ProAves staff in the meeting included Sara Inés Lara (Executive Director), Alonso Quevedo (Development Director), David Caro (Operations Director), Heidy Valle (Conservation Director), Andrés Páez (Investigation Director), Luz Dary Barrera (Environmental Education Director), and Diana Balcázar (Communications Director), and Christian Olaciregui (Caribbean Director).

The meeting in the El Dorado reserve was followed by a tour to some ProAves reserves by Council members.