At ProAves, we work to promote ecotourism and environmental education in communities near our conservation areas. As part of this commitment, we continue to provide training in birdwatching and identification. This time, the initiative was directed at a group of rural youth and Kogui Indigenous people from the Bethel district and the Palestina village, located in the heart of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, within the area of influence of our ProAves El Dorado Reserve.
With this initiative, we seek to promote knowledge and the conservation of local biodiversity through learning and observing the birdlife that inhabits the region.
The training was led by Juan Carlos Luna, a member of Fundación ProAves and an expert ornithologist, who shared specialized bird identification techniques with the participants. He also provided key information about their behavior, habitats, and the importance of their protection.
During the training sessions, the young participants had the opportunity to take field trips, where, equipped with binoculars and specialized guides, they put their new skills into practice and recorded various iconic species of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. Among them were migratory species such as the Blackburnian Warbler (Setophaga fusca) and the Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus), as well as endemic species like the Santa Marta Foliage-gleaner (Clibanornis rufipectus) and the Santa Marta Tapaculo (Scytalopus sanctaemartae).
This activity not only expanded their knowledge of birdlife but also sparked a greater interest in protecting the natural environment and considering ecotourism as a sustainable alternative for their communities’ development.
This training program adds to previous efforts carried out with the Emberá Katío Indigenous community in the Chocó department, offering them an opportunity to enhance their economic activities while fostering a deeper connection to the biodiversity that surrounds them.
At ProAves, we reaffirm our commitment to environmental education and biodiversity conservation, creating learning spaces that connect new generations with nature and provide them with the tools to protect it.
