Looking back on 2019, the year provided us with a range of experiences. There was excitement, success, tragedy, and hope. When we reflect on all that we have accomplished this year, in both the good times and the bad, there was one common theme: collaboration. Sometimes it took the form of official partnerships and other times grassroots community efforts. Even fundraising, which was critical for efforts like hurricane relief, is a collaborative process. Here, we review some of the most important moments of the past year and acknowledge and thank all those who collaborated with us to further our mission. We are also grateful to our many members, volunteers, and donors who generously support our work. We have an awesome community!
Celebrating Success & Partnerships
Keeping Birds Aloft! This was the inspirational theme of our 22nd BirdsCaribbean International Conference held in July. Over 250 delegates from 34 countries grabbed French phrasebooks and headed to the Karibea Beach Hotel in Le Gosier, Guadeloupe. The lively, productive and thought-provoking meeting was organized with our major partners, the Parc National de la Guadeloupe. Keynote speakers, workshops and brainstorming sessions helped participants plan how to engage their communities, combat wildlife trafficking, and address the varied environmental threats facing the Caribbean and its birds. A mentorship program for younger members was launched. (Check out what a few of our sponsored delegates had to say about how they benefited from attending the conference). Despite the profound topics being discussed, participants were upbeat and as would be expected of any Caribbean event, there was dancing on the final night!
At the conference, we were humbled and proud to receive the 2018 Partners in Flight Award. Our Board President Andrew Dobson accepted the award, presented by the U.S. Forest Service, in recognition of BirdsCaribbean relief and recovery work in the wake of Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017.
BirdsCaribbean was thrilled to celebrate the official reopening of the restored Ashton Lagoon, which took place on May 31, 2019. After 13 years of truly challenging work, our partners in the island archipelago between St. Vincent and Grenada – called the Transboundary Grenadines – proudly welcomed supporters and generous donors to Union Island. After a misguided tourism project at the site lay in ruins for 25 years, the neglected wetlands finally have a chance to reawaken. Orisha Joseph and her team at Sustainable Grenadines, Inc. (SusGren) were the stars of the show. Next step: to have the Lagoon and its surroundings designated as a Marine Protected Area.
During the restoration work, BirdsCaribbean organized a highly successful Interpretive Bird Guide Training Workshop on Union Island, empowering citizens from the Grenadines and beyond. In August, the Caribbean Birding Trail’s spectacular new website – https://www.caribbeanbirdingtrail.org – covering more than 150 birding sites in 24 countries, was launched. If you have not already done so, we invite you to explore – both virtually and in person, with our enthusiastic trained guides!
Devastation from Hurricane Dorian
Just a few weeks after our conference, we watched with heavy hearts as tragedy of incredible proportions struck the islands of Abaco and Grand Bahama. The Category Five Hurricane Dorian, which lingered from September 1 to 3 over these islands, brought death and destruction to many communities, and devastated the landscape.
Immediately, BirdsCaribbean formed a response team to raise funds and deliver supplies. The first tentative forays by our Bahamian partners were subdued and sad, with moments of joy and relief when bird species such as the Bahama Parrot, thought to be badly impacted from the island by the storm, were discovered to be doing okay. As always, severe storms bring strong emotions in their wake – and for conservationists, deep anxiety over whether habitats and birds will eventually recover.
Our Hurricane Dorian Recovery Fund has raised US$29,000 to date, with less than one month to go. Thanks to our generous supporters, we shipped thousands of pounds of bird seed and hundreds of feeders. We also used funds to help replace equipment the Bahamas National Trust lost during the storm in addition to funding field surveys. Now the questions loom: Did the Bahama Nuthatch population survive? How quickly will the parrots recover? Will the waterbirds return? While there are encouraging signs, the future is still uncertain. There is much work to be done.
Supporting Conservation & Community
This year we also focused on our most vulnerable migratory species, shorebirds. We know these birds are in trouble; this is a global phenomenon. In February, we hosted the International Training Workshop Conserving Caribbean Shorebirds and Their Habitats in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico with 33 enthusiastic participants on “Conserving Caribbean Shorebirds and their Habitats.” Our partners were Manomet and local NGO Sociedad Ornitológica Puertorriqueña (SOPI).
Our Betty Petersen Conservation Fund provided support to finance direct conservation actions for three endangered Caribbean species: The Black-capped Petrel in Haiti, the Ridgway’s Hawk in the Dominican Republic, and the White-breasted Thrasher in St. Lucia. In all these projects, community involvement (especially youth) has been a key factor. In Haiti, entire farming communities that cultivate lands adjacent to the Petrel’s nesting colonies are pledging to protect these critical breeding areas while in the Dominican Republic, teenagers are volunteering to guard the hawks’ nests. This work would not be possible without the many generous donations to the Betty Fund.
Meanwhile, our dedicated citizen scientists have been hard at work again. Global Big Day was – well, really big. 846 checklists were posted on May 4 – over twenty percent more than in 2018. The Bahamas ran away with the top number of species this time – 138. Runners up were Puerto Rico and third-place Cuba were not far behind. In all, eighty percent of the Caribbean’s endemics were spotted in just one day. BirdsCaribbean is proud of its partnership with eBird through our portal eBird Caribbean. Have you downloaded the free mobile app? Every bird counts!
In 2019 we all learned how to protect birds by becoming the solution to plastic pollution. This was a hugely popular theme for the Caribbean region, which witnesses daily the scourge of plastic pollution and its harmful impacts on birds. Dozens of coordinators organized many events related to this theme for our annual Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival in spring and World Migratory Bird Day celebrations in fall, including beach and wetland clean-ups, raising awareness about the issue and how plastic pollution harms us and wildlife, and how to personally reduce your use of plastic. Many Caribbean countries are leading the way with this global problem by banning plastic bags, plastic straws, and styrofoam. And, we continue to train and empower local educators so that they can develop the next generation of bird conservationists and environmental stewards – watch this inspiring short story from one of our star educators, Natalya Lawrence.
Finally, there were lessons learned (or re-learned) in 2019. In the face of climate change, Caribbean islands must build greater resilience, especially along their vulnerable coastlines. The restoration of wildlife habitat is critical. So is the sustained and determined protection of our most endangered bird species, including migratory birds, in the face of encroaching human development. But we cannot do it alone. We need the support and the active participation of the communities where birds live – and we need you!
Then, and only then, will Caribbean residents – humans, birds, and wildlife in general – truly thrive, and continue to thrive in the future.
Our sincere gratitude to all of our donors and funding agencies for your generous support in 2019, which allowed us to carry out the work highlighted above, and much more! And a big thanks to all of our awesome partners, members, and volunteers for your dedication and hard work. You all inspire us every day!!!
