Bogotá, September 2025 – In an effort to strengthen youth participation in biodiversity conservation, Fondo Acción, the Calidris Association, and the Conserva Aves Initiative launched a virtual course aimed at adolescents and young people between the ages of 14 and 23. The course seeks to strengthen their knowledge about birds and conservation while also developing digital communication skills with an environmental focus. This training process is part of the InfluencerxNaturaleza platform, an initiative of Fondo Acción that, since 2020, has promoted the participation of children and adolescents in environmental action by providing them with tools to become meaningful agents of change in their communities.
Influencerxnaturaleza
Young people living in key conservation territories
The 15 young participants selected for this course live in strategic areas where Conserva Aves, together with local partners, is promoting the creation of new conservation areas in Colombia. They represent municipalities such as Jardín (Antioquia), Dagua (Valle del Cauca), Piojó (Atlántico), Paz de Ariporo and Tauramena (Casanare), Acandí (Chocó), Pasto (Nariño), and Charalá (Santander). Other participants come from processes led by Fondo Acción focused on children and bird conservation.
The course is designed for participants to deepen their knowledge in topics such as:
-Bird diversity and ecological importance
-Major threats they face
-Area-based conservation (such as protected areas and Other Effective Conservation Measures)
-Responsible birdwatching and bird tourism as tools for sustainable development
At the same time, the course provides tools for creating environmental digital content, including video recording and editing, social media communication strategies, and positioning as digital environmental leaders.
An alliance for conservation in Latin America
This process is part of the Conserva Aves Initiative, which aims to expand and strengthen the network of protected areas in Latin America to conserve birds and their habitats, with a special focus on key regions for migratory species.
In Colombia, Conserva Aves is led by American Bird Conservancy, Audubon Americas, BirdLife Americas, Birds Canada, and the Latin American and Caribbean Network of Environmental Funds (RedLAC), with Fondo Acción and the Calidris Association as national partners. Implementation is carried out with the support of strategic partner Bezos Earth Fund.
The Calidris Association has also been responsible for developing several modules of the course, contributing its technical expertise on birds, conservation, protected areas, and bird tourism.
A generation communicating conservation from their territories
This alliance strengthens the shared commitment of Fondo Acción, Calidris, and Conserva Aves to train a new generation of young environmental leaders who, from their own territories, promote biodiversity conservation and contribute to addressing the climate crisis.
To learn more about this initiative, visit: https://fondoaccion.org/2022/09/02/influencerxnaturaleza/
About the Conserva Aves Initiative
The Conserva Aves Initiative seeks to expand and strengthen the network of protected areas in Latin America for the conservation of birds and their habitats, especially in key regions for migratory species. In Colombia, it is led by American Bird Conservancy, Audubon Americas, BirdLife Americas, and RedLAC, with Fondo Acción and the Calidris Association as national partners. The latter leads the implementation of the initiative in the country, with the support of the Bezos Earth Fund.