Jordan Karubian ^1,2* Jorge Olivo ² Domingo Cabrera ² Juan Freile ³ Luke Browne ^1,2 H. Luke Anderson ^1,2 Jairo Cabo ² Gregory Paladines ² Gloria Loor ² Liat Perlin ¹

• ¹ Tulane University, New Orleans, United States
• ² Fundación para la Conservación de los Andes Tropicales (FCAT), Quito, Ecuador
• ³ Committee for Ecuadorian Records in Ornithology, Quito, Ecuador

There has been a growing realization that a more inclusive approach to research can provide both ethical and practical benefits. Long-term avian monitoring programs, and indeed the academic and research community as a whole, are still learning how best to implement these methodologies effectively. This paper provides information on a twenty-plus year effort to conduct community-engaged avian monitoring in northwest Ecuador, with a focus on how this approach has impacted the quality and scope of the project's science and broader societal impacts. A community-engaged approach has improved the quality of our scientific research by adding traditional ecological knowledge (TEK), technical capacity, and intellectual contributions to our monitoring efforts. Community-engaged research has also enhanced the breadth and quality of societal impacts, in terms of education, capacity building, and conservation, particularly in the formation of an ecological reserve that protects threatened species and habitat. We also discuss systemic and local challenges, and potential strategies to overcome these challenges. Based on these findings, we conclude that community-engaged research can improve the intellectual merit and broader societal impacts of long-term avian monitoring, and we advocate for continued investment, efforts, and careful reflection on best practices in this space.