Once a hostage of Colombian rebels, he decided to teach his former captors birding
CBS News • • world
Key Points:
- Diego Calderón Franco, once kidnapped by the FARC rebels in Colombia, later introduced his former captors to bird-watching as a potential new career path following the 2016 peace agreement.
- Colombia hosts around 2,000 bird species, the highest diversity globally, partly due to its varied geography and the preservation of habitats during decades of armed conflict.
- The long-standing violence in Colombia, involving leftist guerrillas, paramilitaries, and drug traffickers, resulted in over 450,000 deaths and 50,000 kidnappings, deeply affecting civilians like Calderón Franco and Michelle Tapasco.
- Despite ongoing challenges, ecotourism based on bird-watching has grown, providing economic opportunities and fostering reconciliation, as exemplified by former FARC member Marcos Guevara, who transitioned to a career in photography through Calderón Franco’s support.
- The peace process remains fragile, with sporadic violence continuing, but birding tourism offers a hopeful avenue for healing and sustainable development in Colombia’s post-conflict era.
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