Local Action for Bird Conservation: A Year of Community-Led Monitoring

Three communities in Oaxaca joined forces to protect their forests and the birds that depend on them, using monitoring, education, and strong local leadership.

In 2023, EcoLogic Development Fund joined forces with PANTERA A.C., FARCO A.C., and the local communities of Rancho Faisán, Vega del Sol, and San José Chiltepec to protect forest habitats and the birds that depend on them by working with the people who know this land best. With support from the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and CONANP-Chinantla, they launched a new collaborative effort: the Alliance for the Conservation of Papaloapan’s Birds.

Together, the Alliance focused on four main objectives:

• monitoring birds and their habitats,

• training local brigades,

• bringing environmental education into schools, and

• creating a kids’ club called Loritos del Papaloapan.

As this phase of the project comes to a close, below we share a look at the impact made—and the seeds planted for the future.

Migratory Birds & Monitoring: Why It Matters

Each year, thousands of bird species migrate between North and Central America. They spend the spring and summer in the U.S. and Canada, and head south in the fall to places like Oaxaca to escape the cold and find food. These migrations are critical to their survival.

Mexico plays a key role in this journey. Approximately 1,124 migratory bird species pass through or stay here each year, making the country one of the most important in Latin America for bird migration.

That’s why monitoring bird populations was such an important part of our project. Over the course of a full year, local brigades worked with two bird specialists to document both migratory and resident species across the three participating communities. They followed the PROALAS (CONABIO) monitoring guidelines and adapted their approach to five different vegetation types. In total, the team collected 960 data points using repeat transects in each area, across all four seasons.

But for many of the people involved, the most significant impact went far beyond the numbers. As the team returned to the same places throughout the year, something deeper began to take shape: relationships and trust grew stronger, community members got more involved, and ejido leaders began to see monitoring as useful and relevant to their communities.

Training That Builds Local Capacity

Before this project, most brigade members had some basic training in forest patrols, but not in bird monitoring. That changed quickly. From January to June 2024, each of the three communities hosted six training workshops. More than ten people per community participated. The training focused mainly on bird monitoring using the Illustrated Manual for Monitoring Wild Birds from the Latin American Program for Wild Birds (PROALAS). It also included general biodiversity monitoring, based on the BIOCOMUNI – Community Biodiversity Monitoring guide for agrarian communities. Participants also learned how to use iNaturalist, eBird, and Merlin, digital tools for identifying and recording birds.

By the end of the process, the community brigades had developed the technical skills needed to carry out bird monitoring independently. In total, they conducted 36 monitoring trips, during which they recorded 3,661 individual birds across 221 different species. These included resident species, migratory birds, and threatened species.

These results highlight both the ecological richness of areas with voluntary conservation agreements (ADVC)—areas that communities have formally designated for conservation through a legal agreement with the Mexican government—and the level of learning achieved by the brigade members.

When a community cares for its birds, it is also caring for itself.

One species that left a strong impression during monitoring was the white hawk (Pseudastur Albicollis). Its contrasting white feathers stood out clearly against the forest canopy. The group managed to capture a single, rare photo of the hawk, a moment they won’t forget, and a reminder of the value of the ecosystems they’re working to protect. As Claudia Gracida from PANTERA put it: “The greatest victory wasn’t just recording 221 species, it was watching community brigade members, children, and families proudly say: ‘These birds are part of us, and we’re going to protect them.’”

Growing the Next Generation of Conservation Leaders

This part of the project focused on schools (primary, secondary, and high school) in the three participating communities. Between December 2023 and January 2024, eight educational workshops were conducted, reaching 639 children and youth. The workshops included a variety of activities, including puppet theater, bird-themed games, photo exhibits, binocular crafts made from recycled materials, and mural painting.

The goal was to teach students about the birds found in their own communities, their migration patterns, and the cultural, social, and economic value of biodiversity.

As the sessions progressed, the kids’ views started to shift. Birds were no longer seen as just animals passing through the forest. They started to be seen as neighbors and an important part of the local environment. A member of PANTERA commented: “Conserving is not just about protecting nature, it’s about protecting the stories, the sounds, and the lives that surround us. When a community cares for its birds, it is also caring for itself.”

Loritos del Papaloapan

From February to September 2024, the children’s clubs known as Loritos del Papaloapan were active in all three communities. A total of 24 educational sessions were held, with 45 children aged 7 to 14 attending regularly.

The clubs focused on bird observation, citizen science, and especially the role of migratory birds. But the sessions also encouraged leadership, friendship, and environmental responsibility. Over time, the children began to take initiative, remembering outing dates, encouraging each other to participate, and taking pride in identifying bird species by their songs.

They also shared what they learned with their families and others in the community, helping to strengthen intergenerational interest in conservation. What started as curiosity turned into motivation. Some children became confident enough to act as informal educators, not just asking questions but explaining bird-related topics to others.

One notable outcome is that many club activities continue even after the official project period ended. This showed that the children were genuinely interested in staying involved with environmental issues and were doing so without any external prompts.

The education activities concluded with a community event, the Loritos del Papaloapan Community Bird Festival, during which 45 youth graduated as community birdwatchers.

A Community-Led Future

During the project’s final presentation of results earlier this year, more people began to understand how birds could play a broader role, not only as indicators of ecosystem health but also as a possible source of income through activities such as birdwatching tourism.

That moment opened new possibilities for conservation-related livelihoods and strengthened the community’s commitment to protecting its environment.

This project was rooted in EcoLogic’s commitment to co-creation, respect for local knowledge, and community leadership at every step. It was not about telling people what to do— it was about building something together.

Community members weren’t observers; they were leaders, co-researchers, and decision-makers. Every workshop, every walk in the forest, and every data point collected was part of a shared effort that combined scientific methods with local knowledge and respected how people live in and care for their territory.

This process of mutual learning strengthened community identity and pride. And it sparked something lasting—especially among children, whose curiosity has grown into stewardship.

For the communities involved, this wasn’t an endpoint. It was a starting point. A first step toward long-term conservation, led by the people who live there and shaped by collective responsibility for the land.

We are deeply grateful to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which provided funding support for this project through the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act (NMBCA), under award number F23AP01629-00.