Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival highlights habitat restoration

A bird seen near Dubique
A bird seen near Dubique

“Restore Habitats, Restore Birds” is the theme for this year’s Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF).

At dozens of events throughout the region, participants of all ages will learn how restoring local habitats can benefit the unique birds found only in the Caribbean. Events on many islands will include habitat restoration activities like clean ups and distribution of native tree seedlings for planting.

The festival, now in its 14th year, is led by BirdsCaribbean, the largest organization devoted to wildlife conservation in the Caribbean. The month-long festival includes Caribbean-wide activities beginning on Earth Day (April 22), through to International Biodiversity Day (May 22), in more than twenty countries. The event celebrates the 150 bird species that are found only in the Caribbean, known as endemics. The highly successful program attracts over 80,000 participants and volunteers each year.

“Over the last several hundred years, natural habitats in the Caribbean have been degraded and destroyed in every way imaginable,” explained Leo Douglas , President of Birds Caribbean. “Many unique Caribbean birds are now extinct, and many others are threatened. Restoring habitat helps endemic birds and also restores the natural heritage of Caribbean people.”

Habitat restoration is a boon to birds, but benefits abound for people, too. Mangrove wetlands, for example, prevent erosion, serve as nurseries for fish, and reduce the impact of major storms on our coastlines. Restored habitats and their restored bird populations may also open the door to a growing industry: birdwatching tourism.

“Birding and wildlife tourism is a huge market that is just starting to make a real impact in the Caribbean,” commented Lisa Sorenson, who is leading BirdsCaribbean’s regional bird tourism project called the Caribbean Birding Trail [5]. The United States Fish & Wildlife Service estimated that birding travel spending was US$15 billion for 2011 in the United States alone, over half of which was spent on food and lodging. “Our endemic birds are a unique asset because they can’t be seen anywhere else. Restoring their habitat can bring revenue and jobs to the region, while also protecting nature.”

The goal of the month-long Festival over its 14-year history has always been to increase public awareness of the region’s exceptionally rich and threatened bird life, using the Caribbean’s celebrated endemic birds as flagships of conservation. This is the twelfth year that Dominica has participated. Activities include; birding and tree planting with schools, public presentation, radio and television programmes, Birding while hiking with hiking clubs, Bird art exhibition at the Botanic Gardens, Chorale speech competition with the junior 4H clubs around Roseau.

In Dominica CEBF is coordinated by the Forestry, Wildlife & Parks Division of the Ministry of Agriculture & Fisheries and sponsored by the Forestry, Wildlife & Parks Division and the Rare Species Conservatory Foundation of Florida, USA.

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2 Comments

  1. out of south city
    April 21, 2015

    This is a great under-taking. Keep up the good work.

  2. jodi
    April 21, 2015

    Looks like a frigate bird

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