Motivation for award: The Community Bird Guide Project is one of BirdLife South Africa’s most successful and impactful projects. BirdLife South Africa has trained over 200 individuals from rural and underprivileged backgrounds to be professional bird and nature guides in the last 20 years, empowering these individuals to become business owners, professional guides, and ambassadors for the environment. We currently have a network of over 50 active guides spread across some of South Africa’s most important birding areas who service the avitourism market, both local and inbound. At the onset of the pandemic, BirdLife South Africa crowdfunded over R750 000 to sustain our Community Bird Guides for 6 months, supplying monthly contributions to cover essential expenses until tourism re-opened. For many, this was a literal lifeline, and the success of this appeal is a testament to the high regard and love that the birding community has for these guides. All of the guides that graduate from our programme are freelancers, however, we maintain a strong relationship and support them through advertising on our website, provision of top optical equipment and branded uniforms through a partnership with Swarovski Optik, camera equipment through a partnership with Canon, and other related marketing materials such as professional videos and business cards. Recently, eight of the Community Bird Guides were sponsored by the birding community to join the Flock to Marion cruise, a 7-night once-in-a-lifetime voyage to Marion Island, which has also been nominated in the category of “Unique Experiences”. This project has provided essential services to the avitourism sector and created a direct link between local communities and tourism, as well as inspiring conservation ambassadors in rural communities that will protect the birds and their environments for years to come.