Avian Biodiversity in Two Zapotec Communities in Oaxaca: The Role of Community-Based Conservation in San Miguel Tiltepec, and San Juan Mixtepec.

Oaxaca is the most biologically and culturally diverse state in Mexico, a world megadiversity region. We document the avifauna of two Indigenous Zapotec communities, San Miguel Tiltepec, Sierra Norte, and San Juan Mixtepec, Sierra Sur. During several years of periodic ethnobiological field research we have recorded 313 species between them, 208 species in San Miguel and 191 in San Juan, lists that includes a substantial fraction (approximately 40%) of the endemic species and species of special concern. The two communities contrast notably in their habitats but share deep roots in their local landscapes and traditions of conservative management. We also recorded Zapotec names and cultural beliefs and practices regarding birds and noted community attitudes and administrative practices that have sustained a rich mosaic of critical avian habitats. We suggest that Indigenous communities in Mexico and elsewhere, given certain preconditions, may provide critical human resources for biodiversity conservation going forward. [for the organized session:What Do Birds Tell Us? How Ethno-ornithology Opens Doors to Understanding Relationships with Others.]