Birds recall Chile wetland’s past to residents
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Researchers in Chile’s Los Ríos Region worked with residents of ten rural communities to understand how birds connect people to the history of the Río Cruces Wetland.
Between 2019 and 2023, Cristóbal Pizarro of the Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity led a study examining the relationship between birdlife, local memories, and changes to the landscape.
The team identified 87 bird species recognized by community members, alongside 27 places holding special biocultural importance, sites where biodiversity intertwines with local knowledge and experiences. The study revealed that birds serve as “sentinels of memory,” helping people recall significant events such as pollution of the Cruces River and the resulting death of black-necked swans. Participants could also identify shifts in species presence, noting those that had disappeared or become more common.
Importantly, 93% of the biocultural sites identified lie outside the formal boundaries of the nature sanctuary, showing that community memory extends beyond protected areas. To facilitate this research, the team trained six local residents as biocultural monitors, empowering them to co-lead the project and share their knowledge. They also created a documentary, Voices of a Territory, and a manifesto outlining principles for conserving the wetland’s heritage, fostering intergenerational knowledge transfer and strengthening community involvement in conservation efforts.
The project identified 54 people and families with deep knowledge of the land, most of whom were women.
