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| Crimson-rumped Toucanet [photo by Chris Calonje] |
Video is now available on the MCAS YouTube Channel
Title: 15 Years of Birding for Conservation in Colombia
Presenter: Presented by Christopher Calonje
Description: Christopher Calonje will talk about his 15-year involvement in promoting bird tourism in his native Colombia. The end of a 50-year civil war brought peace and prosperity to a country marred by violence, opening it up to tourism and to birders from around the globe. Colombia boasts the world's longest list of birds, now over 1,960 species, which is roughly 20% of the world’s species in a country that occupies less than 1% of Earth's landmass. Chris will discuss how bird tourism has supported conservation and local communities in rural areas of Colombia, and his involvement in the process since the country finally became accessible to birders at the beginning of the 21st century.
Bio: A Humboldt State University graduate, Chris has led hundreds of tours in all regions of Colombia since he founded Colombia Birdwatch in 2009. Chris devotes his time to various non-profit conservation groups and local communities in Colombia and also runs the amazing Araucana Lodge in southwestern Colombia, near the city of Cali. Owned by his family on a 30-acre property purchased in 1957 by his grandfather Julio H., the lodge has been touted as one of the best birding lodges in the country.
