A Pronatura volunteer measures the wings of an American kestrel as part of the counting and preservation program of bird species near Jose Cardel, Veracruz, Mexico October 16, 2022. REUTERS/Carolina PuliceJOSE CARDEL, Mexico, Nov 29 - Every year millions of birds glide the air currents between Mexico's Sierra Madre Oriental mountains and the Gulf of Mexico in a spectacle dubbed the "river of raptors" that attracts hundreds of foreign birdwatchers to coastal Veracruz.
Despite hopes the annual event could stoke an ecotourism boom similar to what Latin American counterpartsand Ecuador have seen, it has not materialized partly due to what critics say is Mexico's failure to diversify tourism away from its bustling beach resorts like Cancun and Cabo San Lucas. Spiraling violence halted birdwatching for years in some places, where the activity was an important source of income for local communities, said Vicente Rodriguez, bird conservation specialist at Mexico's National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity .But now, a loose coalition of environmental groups, universities and farmers in Veracruz is working together to develop ecotourism around the annual bird migration.
Other local initiatives such as coffee producers Cafe de Mi Rancho, Rancho San Fermin and Cafetalera San Felipe have jumped on board, with coffee tastings and educational talks about the vital role birds play in spreading seeds.