The female Great Curassow (VU) captured by camera traps.

The Darién of Colombia forms part of one of the most important land bridges in the World, ensuring a terrestrial connection between North, Central and South America. This vital corridor is not only a biodiversity hotspot that facilitates the movement of species between continents, thereby playing a unique role in the evolution of biological communities in the Americas, but it also represents a globally important flyway for migratory birds.

Rufous-vented Ground Cuckoo - a rarely glimpsed forest specialist.

In a previous stage of this project, over one million birds were recorded migrating through the Darién over two years, including 744,000 raptors and 386,000 swallows and swifts. Thousands of migratory land birds also stop in the forests of this region, where they recover after long over-sea crossings. Despite the global importance of the forests of the Darién to migratory birds and to biodiversity in general, rates of deforestation have increased in recent years as the region has become more accessible. This project aims to promote both the economic and aesthetic value of the remaining forests through educational campaigns and providing the tools for ecotourism initiatives (guide training, a guide to the region’s wildlife, website promoting wildlife viewing sites), thereby providing an alternative to deforestation for cattle pastures.