The chinantla conservation area comprises 248,186 hectares of forest cover, of which 62,532.67 hectares are certified by the mexican government as natural protected areas voluntarily destined for…

This Project Grant award of $579,897 was made by the Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service Region 9 Headquarters under the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation (CFDA 15.635) program. The grant will be used by the Eco-Logic Development Fund to implement a 4-pillar solution to strengthen conservation area management, train local youth and adults to document migratory bird presence, protect forest habitats through climate change mitigation, and educate children and youth on the importance of natural habitats and migratory birds. Key activities include protecting 6,828 hectares and restoring 20 hectares of migratory bird habitat, developing community capacity in 3 ejidos to monitor and patrol protected areas, implementing 5 agroforestry plots and 100 fuel-efficient wood stoves, and educating 540 children and 45 youth about migratory birds and their habitats. The grant period runs from July 3, 2023 to July 3, 2025.

The chinantla conservation area comprises 248,186 hectares of forest cover, of which 62,532.67 hectares are certified by the mexican government as natural protected areas voluntarily destined for conservation. IT is considered a g-1 zone for cyanolyca nanus, electron carinatum, setophaga chrysoparia, amazona oratrix, mycteria americana, vireo belli, empidonax traillii and hylocichla mustelina -wood stork- which is considered as a bird of conservation importance 2021.our project proposes a 4 pillar solution to a.strengthen conservation area management plans and community capacities to design a locally operational and scalable neotropical migratory bird monitoring program b. Train youth and adults to document the presence of neotropical migratory bird in protected habitats with the use of technology generating appreciation and linkage with their territory c.protect the natural habitat provided by forest habitats for biodiversity by implementing climate change mitigation actions to forests and woodlands and d. Educate children and youth to identify and recognize the importance of natural habitats for biodiversity and neotropical migratory birds and their relationship to the ecosystem territory. The proposed pillars address the lack and development of local capacities to take advantage of the knowledge and sustainable use of natural capital with the application of modern technologies to enhance the observation and monitoring of birds with the generation of bird lists. They are designed considering the parallel strengthening of plans and programs for land management, helping to reduce risks from natural or induced fires, land use change with better agricultural practices, and deforestation. We also emphasize the attention to children and young people to increase and root knowledge about migratory birds and biodiversity to address the link between population and territory in which they live to prevent the selective extraction of endangered flora and fauna species including neotropical migratory birds, which will guarantee in the long term a real positive impact for the protection of natural habitat and sustainable livelihoods in the communities. Our activities encompass a series of activities focused on the following objectives: 1.the protection of 6,828 hectares and restoration o 20 hectares of neotropical migratory birds forest habitats through voluntary work based on 3 management plans for conservation 2.the development and anchoring of community capacities in three ejidos involving 30 community brigades in remote sensing systems, use of camera traps, GPS, computers, digital cameras, databases- to create a community bird watcher protector monitoring system protecting, patrolling and watching the reduction of logging, forest fire prevention and bird species monitoring 3.reduce anthropogenic pressure on migratory birds habitat by applying climate change mitigation adaptation approaches to forests and woodlands with the implementation of 5 agroforestry plots, 100 fuel-efficient wood stoves, and 30 home gardens and 4. Increase and build local knowledge and information on communal forests as home and symbiosis of neotropical migratory birds with 540 children and 45 youths, focusing on hylocichla mustelina, mycteria americana, empidonax traillii, and vireo bellii, which have been documented in the protected habitat as part of the conservation call to action.finally, our project seeks to scale and replicate a smaller-scale successful initiative in the region for revaluing the territory and appreciation of neotropical migratory birds, obtaining encouraging results with the creation of children s clubs for the conservation of birds and their approach to the locally protected habitats. This action will be replicated in the communities where the intervention is planned and that will ensure a safe habitat for migratory birds under better management of the territory by ejidos and local community authorities.