They are awarded by SEO/BirdLife and BirdLife International with the collaboration of the Biodiversity Foundation.

Two conservation projects of the Important Bird Areas (IBAs) of Brazil and Ecuador have been awarded this Monday, October 25, at the 10th summit of the Convention on Biological Diversity in Nagoya, Japan.

The one in Brazil is called “Corridor One-Lontras. Sustainable use of forests in the Serra das Lontras-Una forest complex, Bahia state, Brazil: organic cocoa production through producer cooperatives”, promoted by Sociedade para a Conservação das Aves do Brasil – SAVE Brasil. The one in Ecuador is “Local environmental management for the participatory conservation of three IBAs in the northwest of Pichincha”, promoted by Aves & Conservación: Ornithological Corporation of Ecuador.

Within the framework of the project “Uniting sites, uniting people: migratory routes, biodiversity and development in the Americas”, executed by SEO/BirdLife and the Secretariat of BirdLife International in the Americas, with the collaboration of the Biodiversity Foundation, the 2010 Award for Biodiversity Conservation and Development in Latin America has been announced. The two projects are oriented towards the conservation and development of IBAs, where local communities have a fundamental role and carry out efficient and innovative management activities and good practices, as a way to improve their livelihoods.

With these awards, SEO/BirdLife and the Biodiversity Foundation want to highlight the strong links between biodiversity conservation and poverty reduction, one of the key aspects that are being discussed these days in Nagoya. 50 projects from 19 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean have participated in the call.

“These awards want to raise awareness of the immense possibilities offered by biodiversity to move towards a different world and improve the quality of life of people who depend more directly on natural resources. They show that thanks to the intense work over many years and the joint commitment between the communities living in the areas of high biodiversity and these NGOs, it is possible to achieve tangible benefits through new development opportunities,” said Alejandro Sánchez, Acting Executive Director of SEO/BirdLife, who is in Nagoya for the announcement of this award.

“These two projects are a clear and practical example of biodiversity conservation initiatives carried out in critical areas, through work with local communities. The two award-winning projects are also being developed in countries with great biological diversity,” said Andrés Bosso, Executive Director of Aves Argentinas and President of the Regional Committee of the Americas of BirdLife International.