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ECOCLUB.com Awards 2010 Theme: Ecosocial Justice Through Tourism B. Application Form ECOCLUB.com Ecotourism Awards 2010 - APPLICATION FORM ___________________________________________________________________________________________ 01. Your Organisations Official Name (Please enter your own name if self-employed) CORPORACION PARA EL MONITOREO DE LA BIODIVERSIDAD DEL SUR MASHIRAMO CORPORATION FOR MONITORING BIODIVERSITY IN SOUTHERN MASHIRAMO

02. Your Name & Official position/role at this Organisation EIVAR SAMBONY, President and Legal representative of the organization.

03. Company Registration Number / TAX ID / VAT Registration / Year of Incorporation NIT: 900154763-7 Organization establishes in July 2007

04. Your full contact details (Telephone, Fax, Email, Website, Skype) CELLULAR: FAX: CORREO EMAIL: BLOG: FACEBOOK: (57) 3132409910 (57 8) 8361619 osomashiramo@gmail.com / pasodeoso@gmail.com mashiramo.blogspot.com MASHIRAMO: MONITOREO, CONSERVACION Y ECOTURISMO

05. Project Title (up to 5 words) BIRDWATCHING AS A COMMUNITY CONSERVATION STRATEGY

06. Project Short Summary (up to 40 words) Strengthen community awareness of wild birds and their potential as an economic alternative through bird watching, achieving an equitable distribution of economic benefits by generating real alternatives to local deforestation.

07. Project Description (up to 400 words) Southern Huila is a biodiverse region, located within the Tropical Andes Hot Spot and the Andean Biosphere Reserve Belt). However, currently the forests are being heavily affected by the planting of crops such as coffee and passion fruit, which uses 400 wild posts.

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The region still has forests with endemic and endangered species, particularly birds, which has brought bird-watching tourism businesses that explore our territory to create bird identification materials to promote themselves to foreign tourists. The information they discover is not shared with the community, whose members are only hired to guide the companies to strategic birdwatching sites. The operation has already begun to bring some tourists, but the local community is excluded from the resulting economic benefits, aside from minor participation as scouts or very low-priced food vendors. The Mashiramo Corporation consists of four community groups involving 60 rural households, whose purpose is to conserve biodiversity and improve local living conditions, upon identifying: first, the opportunity presented by birdwatching as a realistic option to improve community income; second, the unjust and inequitable distribution of economic benefits and knowledge; third, the loss of forests and bird habitats, has collectively decided to enter in this contest a proposal which aims to: strengthen local knowledge related to wild birds and the potential of bird watching as an alternative economic opportunity, to achieve community empowerment and equitable distribution of benefits and promote a real alternative to local deforestation. The expected results are: 1) Training and strengthening 30 members of the organization on which birds are in the region and how to use their presence sustainably through birdwatching. 2) Provision of materials and equipment to develop this activity, including binoculars, field guides and training materials. 3) Check list of the birds found in our region's strategic sites. 4) Three community training workshops on the subject for organization members with two field trips to strategic locations to observe and develop checklists. 5) A bird identification list illustrated with photos of various birds to broadcast over the internet.

08. Total Project Budget. Budget should include all costs including materials, fees and wages. In Local Currency: COP 4.800.000 In Euros: EUR 1.994 (for up to date exchange rates please see http://www.xe.com ) Any Important Notes:

09. Project Budget Breakdown in as much detail as possible. Number Item Description of Items Item Cost Total Item per unit in Cost in local local currency currency Binoculars 150.000 1.500.000 Field guides and manuals for bird 22.000 660.000 management Camera 1000.000 1.000.000 Workshops with 2 field trips 500.000 1.500.000 120.145 COP Total Item Cost in Euros exchange rate used: (1 EUR = 2,402.89 COP) 62 275 416 624 50 1.994

10 30 1 3

1 PayPal / Bank Transfer Charges TOTAL:

120.145 4.780.145 EUROS

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10. Exact physical location of the project: Address: Village / City, Area, State, Country Office Address: Carrera 5 No. 5-25. Municipalities: Pitalito, Huila: Veredas El Pensil and El Carmen Acevedo, Huila: Vereda Villafatima Department: Huila Ecoregion: Macizo Colombiano Country: Colombia Map: Precise Longitude & Latitude and / or link to location using Google Maps.

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11. Pictures - Up to five relevant pictures illustrating the site of the project and what it is all about. ( Please cut and paste here)

12. Is this project, or parts of this project already under way? Before initiating this project, we learned through third-parties of the birdwatching activity and we have participated in the explorations some external business and guides have done, but without knowing the results of their investigations and without knowing the true economic potential and conservation of bird watching. This project is the first step we are taking in an autonomous and sovereign manner to begin a true alternative for sustainable use of biodiversity through birdwatching and to strengthen our community.

13. Project Completion Schedule with dates Start date: Completion date: 1 September 2010 30 November 2010

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14. Who or what will mostly benefit from your project? (up to 200 words) The project directly benefits 30 rural members of the corporation, plus Mashiramo. Indirectly it will benefit the 60 families of the organizations members (280 more people).

15. Do you have experience with similar projects in the past? (up to 200 words) Yes, a year ago Corporation Mashiramo created a travel agency called Eco-adventure in the Massif, recognized by the National Register of Tourism (RNT No. 15 853). Through Eco-adventrure in the Massif, research and workshops have been carried out to develop other tourism products. In addition, a few organization members have participated in research on birds and done conservation expeditions related to other subjects. 16. Have you consulted the local community and/or their elected representatives about their real needs and feelings about this project? Please clarify and provide evidence if you can. (up to 200 words) Mashiramo Corporation is made up of community farmers and residents of the region. A specific meeting was held to define the project to submit to Ecoclub, and this topic on birds was selected and supported by a report signed by the executive board.

17. Have you examined all legal, tax and technical aspects of this project? Please clarify and provide evidence if you can. (up to 200 words)

The project does not require special permits or legal guarantee by any state institution, as it is not going to sacrifice the birds nor will it take live or dead specimens, but only discover their locations and identify them with photographs. No outings or workshops will be held within national parks or protected reserves that require special permission. All fieldwork will be done in forests and natural areas, asking permission of local community owners and neighbors, with the hope to help protect and preserve these areas through this project. In terms of taxes, all purchases or expenditures will be made with invoices according to the tax law of IVA. A local expert will be hired for the workshops, and his/her technical experience will be evaluated via resumes and a selection process.

18. Are there any other unknown or uncertain parameters about this project? Does it depend on any external factors? (up to 100 words) This particular project is precise and addresses a specific need. It does not dependent on any external factor or other funding or support except from ECOCLUB.

19. Who will actually implement this project? (organisation employees, local volunteers, tourist volunteers, local workers, others?) (up to 100 words) Rural community members of the organization.

20. If your project is not chosen, will you still go ahead with its implementation? (up to 50 words) Yes, if the project is not chosen, Mashiramo Corporation will keep looking for support to be able to develop it.

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Please enter your full name below and the date to indicate acceptance of the above terms: EIVARA SAMBONY GARCES

Date: JULY 29, 2010 _____________________________________________________________________________________ Thank you very much for your time. Please save and email the complete document by to a@ecoclub.com If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact us Copyright 1999-2010 ECOCLUB S.A