Birdwatching Tourism for Conservation
Building local capacity in birdwatching and nature tourism as a tool for conservation and family economic development.
Building local capacity in birdwatching and nature tourism as a tool for conservation and family economic development.
Local birding guides are key players in the conservation of birds and their habitats. Their work brings visitors and communities closer to the natural heritage, promotes good birdwatching practices, and generates economic opportunities linked to wetland conservation.
With this vision, Fundación Conservación Marina launched a program in 2020 to strengthen the knowledge and skills of local guides and operators, initially linked to the Maullín River Wetlands Nature Sanctuary. This work produced the first Sustainable Tourism Manual for the Maullín River Wetlands Nature Sanctuary. In 2022, the program expanded to the protected areas of Curaco de Vélez Bay and Villa Quinchao, in Chiloé, and to the Coihuín–Chamiza Marine Wetland, progressively building a network of operators and guides specialized in nature tourism and birdwatching.
Since 2023, the Coastal Solutions program has expanded training opportunities and experience-sharing among guides from Coihuín–Chamiza, Maullín, and Chiloé. The process has included bird identification courses, first aid and wilderness assistance certifications (WAFA), training in Leave No Trace principles, experience exchanges, and participation in specialized birdwatching gatherings, along with collaboration agreements with the Chilean Network of Bird and Wildlife Observers (ROC).
An important step has been the creation of the Maullín River Birding Fair (FAM), held for the first time in 2024 with the goal of positioning Maullín and its wetlands as a birdwatching destination. FAM brings together guided routes, workshops, talks, cultural activities, and stakeholders linked to tourism and conservation, creating a space where birds and wetlands also become an opportunity to strengthen local businesses and services. For FCM, this initiative helps showcase birdwatching tourism as a tool that links conservation and local economic development, creating incentives to protect birds and their habitats while strengthening a tourism offering grounded in the territory's natural heritage.
