Abstract
Biological monitoring is a powerful tool for understanding ecological patterns and processes, implementing sound management practices, and determining wildlife conservation strategies. In Mexico, regional long-term bird monitoring has been undertaken only over the last decade. Two comprehensive programs have incorporated bird monitoring as the main tool for assessing the impact of human productive activities on birds and habitats at local and regional levels: the Integrated Ecosystem Management (IEM) and the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor Mexico (CBMM). These programs are implemented in supremely important biodiverse regions in the southern and southeastern states of Mexico. Bird monitoring activities are based on the recruitment and participation of local people linked to sustainable productive projects promoted by the CBMM or IEM. Through a series of training workshops delivered by specialists, local monitors receive equipment and coordinate to become part of a large monitoring network that facilitates regional covertures. This data currently being obtained by local people will enable the mid- and long-term assessment of the impacts of sustainable human productive activities on birds and biodiversity. Community-based bird monitoring programs are a promising opportunity for enhancing scientific knowledge, improving sustainable practices, and supporting wildlife conservation in areas of high biodiversity.
Highlights
Biological monitoring is an essential activity for enhancing our understanding of ecological patterns and processes, assessing biodiversity, guiding management activities, and determining wildlife conservation strategies [1,2]
We suggest the following criteria which might be useful for evaluating the effectiveness of locally-based bird monitoring programs: (1) maintenance of bird monitoring activities since the start of the program; (2) an increment in the number of local monitors trained by local capacities; and (3) constant flowing of bird monitoring data, reflected as an increase of both recorded species and checklist number
Community-based bird monitoring programs are a promising opportunity for enhancing scientific knowledge, human welfare, and conservation in high biodiversity countries
Summary
Biological monitoring is an essential activity for enhancing our understanding of ecological patterns and processes, assessing biodiversity, guiding management activities, and determining wildlife conservation strategies [1,2]. Birds have been widely used in monitoring programs worldwide [3], as they are relatively easy to survey, are present in all habitat types, surveying them over large areas is economically affordable, and information about species with different ecological requirements can be compiled relatively [4,5,6]. Along with their ecological importance as pollinators, seed dispersers, and predators, birds are valuable for people in local communities as food, commercial, ornamental, medicinal, religious, artistic, and recreational resources [7,8,9]. Incorporating local participation in avian monitoring programs has been useful for determining temporal and spatial patterns on bird distribution [3], promoting local community awareness of environmental issues [6,13], establishing ecotourism programs as additional or alternative productive activities for communities [14], identifying important areas for bird conservation [3], and engaging public policies for wildlife conservation [3,10]
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