Bird conservation is as much about people as it is about birds.

Last week, BirdLife Partners from the Americas met in Quito, Ecuador to discuss the work we do with people that live in or near Important Bird Areas (IBAs). We call these very diverse partners “Local Conservation Groups” or “LCGs”. I shared Nature Canada’s experiences working with groups in IBAs across Canada, while my colleagues from Belize, Mexico, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Panama, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay shared the experiences of their organizations: a youth-owned and operated radio station in Paraguay; primary education and agroforestry in a Haitian community; indigenous sustainable forest management in Chiapas, Mexico…It was an extremely interesting exchange in which we learned about different approaches depending on different circumstances. The discussion focused mostly on our experiences working with people who depend on the natural resources of IBAs for their livelihoods. We talked about how we started these relationships, the successes we have had, the challenges we have faced and the different roles we play in each partnership. We talked about building capacity, respecting local values and cultures, and promoting sustainability. Even though many of the partners only started working with Local Conservation Groups a few years ago, our collective experience is surprisingly rich. This doesn’t mean we don’t have much to learn. We also identified topics for further discussion in relation to our work with local actors, including equity, gender and climate change.