PRBO Conservation Science (Point Reyes Bird Observatory): Capacity Building for Avian Monitoring and Conservation in Baja California, Mexico

Objectives: (1) Present a seven-day training course in avian monitoring methods to 10-15 students and staff from protected areas in Mexico; (2) Provide intensive training in the form of internships or on-site tutoring to 4 students to gain proficiency in monitoring techniques; (3) Further establish an outreach program to educate local communities and governmental officials about migratory bird conservation and habitat stewardship; and (4) Initiate standardized monitoring of migrant and resident birds in coastal scrub, chaparral, and mixed conifer forests.

Project Description: PRBO Conservation Science (Point Reyes Bird Observatory), with partners from the Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada (CICESE) and Terra Peninsular, A.C., and support from the Sonoran Joint Venture, have been expanding collaborative, bi-national bird studies, training and monitoring programs, and conservation efforts in northwestern Baja California, with an emphasis on the seriously threatened riparian and coastal scrub habitats. As part of the South Coast Ecoregion that extends from Santa Barbara, California to the El Rosario area of Baja California, the ecoregion includes coastal scrub vegetation at low elevations, chaparral at mid-elevations, and mixed conifer forests at higher elevations. The South Coast Ecoregion falls in the California climate and vegetation zone
which is one of only three North American areas that qualify as hotspots of biodiversity. For example, more than 460 species of birds have been recorded across the international border in San Diego County, and Baja California is the home to such threatened species as the California
Gnatcatcher (Polioptila californica) and Least Bell's Vireo (Vireo bellii). The ecoregion is under severe pressure from development and commercial interests; coastal scrub is the most threatened vegetation type in Baja California as it is particularly susceptible to coastal development projects on both sides of the border.

Contact:
Dr. Steven C. Latta (USA), Dr. Horacio de la Cueva (CICESE), and Dr. Alan Harper (Terra Peninsular, A.C.)
4990 Shoreline Highway
Stinson Beach, CA 94970