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Role of banding in forest conservation strategy in eastern Guatemala

January 1, 1999

In response to a request from FUNDAECO, a Guatemalan non-government organization, we worked with them to develop a conservation strategy for the Cerro San Gil Protected Area and surrounding private lands. Volunteer banders from a dozen states and Canadian provinces assisted in long-term monitoring of populations of resident and migratory species through banding and point counts. Guatemalan students were trained to continue the research and initiate other conservation projects. Banding data helped demonstrate habitat and elevational affiliations, effects of habitat fragmentation, site fidelity, survival rates, local movements, and presence of rare species not otherwise detected. Banding was also an excellent teaching tool and provided videos for conservation programs on Guatemala national television. Roadside and off-road Breeding Bird Survey transects were used to map distribution of breeding species on habitat maps derived from satellite imagery, and point count surveys on private lands were used to identify prime habitats that warrant protection through conservation easements--a new concept for Central America.

Publication Year 1999
Title Role of banding in forest conservation strategy in eastern Guatemala
Authors C.S. Robbins, B.A. Dowell, I. Arias, A. Cerezo B.
Publication Type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Series Title North American Bird Bander
Index ID 5224111
Record Source USGS Publications Warehouse
USGS Organization Patuxent Wildlife Research Center