<
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/jun/01/more-profitable-than-farming-how-ecuadors-birding-boom-is-benefiting-wildlife>
"Soon after Anita Cajas and Vinicio Bacuilima started farming their little
patch of land, they faced a major problem. In Anita’s words, they soon
attracted “a plague of birds”, which feasted on their precious crops.
Then, during the Covid-19 pandemic, a man stopped on the road outside their
house, and asked the couple if he could take photographs of the birds on the
property. Afterwards, he suggested that instead of trying to get rid of the
birds, they should instead learn to live alongside them, and Maraksacha Reserve
was born.
Today, Anita credits this man, the celebrated bird photographer Manu Espinosa,
with changing their lives, and helping them persuade others of the vital
importance of conservation in this special region.
“Because we’re on the main road from Quito to Mindo, we get lots of visitors –
especially bird photographers,” Cajas says. They “enjoy sitting on our terrace,
drinking coffee, and getting such closeup views of the birds”.
Birding tourism is thriving in Ecuador, with increasing numbers of specialist
tour groups, local bird guides and wildlife lodges. The country boasts more
than 1,600 different species – almost twice as many as the whole of Europe – in
an area only slightly larger than the UK. As the business of birding grows,
more and more subsistence farmers are transitioning their land from agriculture
to bird reserves, benefiting not just the birds, but the country’s economy
too."
Via
Fix the News:
<
https://fixthenews.com/good-news-democracy-india-reproductive-rights-ozone/>
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
