Yucatan TIS Slideshow

Lighthawk and iLCP took to the air in the Yucatan Peninsula in southeast Mexico for their first Tripods in the Sky flight. David Cole, a pilot with Light Hawk and Eduardo Galicia, a Mexican scientist working on aerial flamingo surveys for 2 Mexican organizations, Niños y Crias and Pronatura Yucatan, were joined by German photographer, Klaus Nigge, a Fellow of the iLCP and a contributing photographer for National Geographic Magazine. A year ago Klaus met Eduardoduring a RAVE, a Rapid Assessment Visual Expedition in which both iLCP and Lighthawk helped create a photographic snapshot of this region to call attention to the rapid development from tourism, agriculture and human growth. The mission flew over the northwest coast of the Yucatan Peninsula and they were able to get very important information about flamingo distribution during this time of the year. In addition Klaus was able to take great aerial pictures from the birds and the coastal wetlands where they live!

The information obtained during the flight will complement the scientific surveys, and will assist with Pronatura’s efforts to promote sustainable tourism and protect the coastal wetlands of the states of Campeche and Yucatan, thus helping the conservation of this key species of the Yucatan Peninsula and its habitats.