WE FIRMLY BELIEVE IN OUR WORK, IN PEOPLE AND CHANGE THAT WE ALL
WANT TO GENERATE THOUGH ENVIROMENTAL EDUCATION.
THESE ARE SOME OF OUR ACHIEVEMENTS
The formal partnership between the Fly High Bird Club and the local school of La Tagua:
We have been integrated within the official curricula of the La Tagua School through the PRAE (Proyectos Ambientales Escolares), an initiative of the Colombian government to integrate environmental education within the curriculum of the schools. This means that from now on it our activities can be delivered by any teacher to students of any grade in the school, adapted to any subject. Also, this partnership means that all activities, projects, and workshops regarding biodiversity conservation can be conducted in the school facilities, and the students have the right to participate on them.
Local capacity building for conservation:
-The Fly High Bird Club has reached out 50 kids from two different villages in the Sierra Nevada. Our evaluation results showed that most of the participants feel that they have been acquiring the knowledge, awareness and skills needed to engage in conservation actions within their family business, professional career and daily lives.
Besides from the job with the school participants, we have been training another 6 indigenous youngsters from the Wiwa indigenous group with the support of the local company Wiwa Tours, in birdwatching oriented towards ecotourism.
Furthermore, we supported one indigenous student from the Kogi tribe to start a birdwatching tour company in the region (NuwaBirdlife). His company is a total success and he is hiring and training other local youngsters from the area.
Some of the participants have been engaging in scientific monitoring projects for endemic, endangered and migratory species of birds and frogs, and paid for it. Specifically, 3 students participated for three months in the scientific monitoring of the endangered, migratory Golden Winged Warbler with ornithologists from the NGO that has been supporting us the whole time (SELVA). Another 5 students are currently participating in the scientific monitoring of endangered endemic species of frogs (most of them from the genus Atelopus) of the Sierra in a partnership with Fundación Atelopus. They are also being paid.
Setting up La Tagua for nature-oriented tourism:
6 informative banners were created and displayed with the help of the students of the school along la Tagua. These banners cover topics about birds, frogs, coffee, medicinal plants, and maps, helping the tourists to have a more informed experience.
A nature-photography exhibition by the students of La Tagua. This exhibition is displayed in the school and also in the two most important community meeting places and stores: la Mona and El Romboy. Beautiful pictures of local fauna, flora and landscapes illuminate the whole village.
A set of 4 nature-based murals created by the students of La Tagua is also displayed in the school and at La Mona and El Romboy. Migratory, endemic birds and frogs as well as indigenous people and local farmers are represented along these amazing art pieces.