Preserving La Mancha’s Wetland Avian Heritage with a Community-Driven Bird Monitoring Initiative

Abstract

The region of La Mancha includes several bodies of water and communities of wetlands and jungles. It has a rich flora and fauna, and its wetlands are a Ramsar site (La ManchaEl Llano no 1336). Since 1999, there has been a community ecotourism group made up of farmers, ranchers, and fishermen who actively participate in research projects at CICOLMA (a reserve and field station of the Instituto de Ecología A.C., a public research center). They supported the restoration of freshwater wetlands, and since then, one of their members has been monitoring monthly the birds that arrive at the restored wetland. He has recorded 200 species, including aquatic, wading, and terrestrial birds. His training and enthusiasm have allowed him to constantly support data collection and generate this list, showing the role of a small wetland in bird richness. The group’s activity has also resulted in greater community interest in conservation and becoming a livelihood.