Birds Without Borders…Saving Belize’s Environment
October 22, 2007
You’ve probably heard about “Doctors Without Borders” and “Journalists Without Borders” but how about Birds Without Borders?
Birds Without Borders-Aves Sin Fronteras (Spanish for birds without borders) is a research, education, and conservation project sponsored by the Foundation for Wildlife Conservation, Inc. (FWC) and the Zoological Society of Milwaukee (ZSM).
The project was founded by Dr. Gil Boese, president of the Foundation for Wildlife Conservation in 1996 to study and address the declines reported in bird populations in the Americas.
Birds Without Borders-Aves Sin Fronteras is notable because all it’s research and conservation efforts have taken place on privately owned lands in Belize and Wisconsin!
In 1998 the Foundation for Wildlife Conservation purchased over 6000 acres of land around Mile 6 on the Coastal Road in Central Belize. The FWC manages this land as the Runaway Creek Nature Preserve which it says provides “large expanses of undisturbed habitats for many animals as well as rare plants.”
Dr. Boese continues to oversee the management of the privately owned nature preserve where his staff have identified 304 species of birds.
Birds Without Borders have also identified 114 species of migratory birds which make their homes in both Belize and Wisconsin.
Birds Without Borders have recently published a “Landowners Manual” so landowners in Belize can try to do their part in “helping birds.”
Here is a link to their website where you can download the “Landowners Manual” as a pdf. The report contains many eye-opening recommendations which make good reading for everyone, not just Belizean landowners.
So just remember….the next time you see a rather exotic looking bird in your backyard in America, it may have just arrived from Belize!
Comments
Got something to say?