Macaw Advocates in Mexico Need Your Help
Located in the Puerto Vallarta region of Mexico, Birding in Mexico supports the only sanctuary in Mexico (and likely the world) where the population of Military Macaws is increasing instead of decreasing.
Led by Alejandro Martinez and others, this organization generally depends on revenue from international birding tourists to help support their endeavors. The global pandemic has hit Mexico especially hard and has greatly limited the ability of the group to raise funds through ecotourism. The aim of this GoFundMe campaign is to connect bird lovers with a very special place in the world, and help ensure that the conservation and advocacy can continue during this challenging time. All donations will be given to Birding in Mexico. Please take a moment and read about the very important work being done. 
Why Were There So Many Birds in Cages?
When Alejandro Martinez arrived in Puerto Vallarta in 1996, he was troubled by the prevalence of green macaws and other wild birds in cages throughout the city. He soon realized that there was a large black market for these birds and poachers were cutting down nesting trees in order to take and sell the baby macaws. Since then, Alejandro and a small group of dedicated individuals have worked tirelessly to educate rural communities about the benefits of ecotourism and the need to protect this extremely vulnerable species. This particular species of macaw (Ara Militaris) are considered a vulnerable species with a declining population due to habitat fragmentation from logging, deforestation and roads.
Macaws Get a Safe Home
Through this advocacy, Alejandro met Francisco Espino, a local rancher who let Alejandro know that a few macaws had been nesting on his families property for generations. Francisco and his family have since fenced the property to keep out poachers and turned the ranch into a sanctuary for the macaws. Alejandro began bringing birders from all over the world to witness these magnificent birds in their native habitat. In 2012, the team began experimenting with nesting boxes and found that they could aid macaw reproduction and fledging with specially designed boxes. Since then, they’ve added 30 nesting boxes to the property and continue to add more every year. Today, the sanctuary is the only place in Mexico (and likely the world) where the this species of macaw is increasing in numbers.
This Conservation Work Needs Your Support
Most years I spend part of the winter in Mexico and support the valuable work done by Birding in Mexico by paying to take an early morning tour to watch these magnificent flying rainbows from a viewing platform above the forest canopy. To see these birds in the wild and hear about the yearly progress being made in the sanctuary is one of the highlights of the year. It is my hope that this campaign might help generate some of the necessary funds to help support this important and ongoing conservation effort.
