We Launch a Course on Environmental Education Tools for Birdwatching Guides and Territorial Educators in Maullín and Curaco de Vélez

On August 21 and 22 we launched the course "Environmental Education Tools for Birdwatching Guides and Territorial Educators," held in the communes of Maullín and Curaco de Vélez, Los Lagos Region.

The sessions of the first module brought together 31 participants, with 15 attendees in Maullín and 16 in Curaco de Vélez, all interested in strengthening skills related to environmental education, natural heritage interpretation, and nature tourism.

The initiative is part of Fundación Conservación Marina's School of Leadership for Nature Conservation (ELICONA) and seeks to provide pedagogical and practical tools to people linked to birdwatching, education, territorial management, and tourism.

The course is supported by the Illustrious Municipality of Maullín, through its Tourism Office and Municipal Education Department, and by the Illustrious Municipality of Curaco de Vélez, through its Environment and Tourism offices. The initiative is financially supported by BIOME.

The first module focused on the fundamentals of environmental pedagogy applied to birdwatching and territorial education, combining conceptual content, exchange of experiences, and participatory exercises.

The purpose of the course is to move beyond simply delivering information toward experiences capable of generating meaningful learning, connection with the territory, and greater appreciation of local biodiversity and biocultural heritage. To this end, the program incorporates tools for experiential learning, environmental interpretation, communication with different audiences, and planning of educational activities in the field.

Over the course of four modules, participants will cover content on environmental pedagogy and didactics, planning outdoor educational experiences, and leading educational birdwatching activities, using as reference the wetlands, waterbirds and migratory birds, and coastal landscapes of the Los Lagos Region.

The program includes 12 hours of training distributed over four sessions in each commune. In Maullín, sessions are held on Fridays August 21 and 28, and September 4 and 11; while in Curaco de Vélez they take place on Saturdays August 22 and 29, and September 5 and 12.

Through this training experience, Fundación Conservación Marina seeks to strengthen local capacities so that the growing interest in birds and nature translates into better educational experiences, greater appreciation of biocultural heritage, and more active participation in the conservation of wetlands and their biodiversity.