Mexico is failing to take advantage of the significant potential of ecotourism geared to birdwatching, says a report released by two environmental organisations on Mar. 15. “This is an activity that is neither promoted nor well organised. We are talking about a potential 800 million dollars annually in the medium term,” the president of the environmental group Teyeliz, María Elena Sánchez, told Tierramérica.

Teyeliz joined forces with the Defenders of Nature to produce a report entitled “Money Flies: The economic value of birdwatching ecotourism”, which stresses why Mexico would be a prime destination for the development of this activity.

Mexico is home to 1,096 different species of birds, 125 them endemic to the country, which means they are found nowhere else. With 61 species, the southern state of Oaxaca tops the list. In 2006, a total of 78,820 birdwatchers visited Mexico and spent close to 24 million dollars.