Every meeting destination offers recreational options for attendees before, during (when sessions end for the day), or after the event. But how about distinguishing your recreational offerings by giving your attendees the chance to promote conservation and benefit local communities - while enjoying one-of-a-kind encounters with nature?

Mexico offers a myriad of these opportunities: 18 million acres of ecological preserves, 127 protected areas, and dozens of biosphere reserves and national parks are home to 30,000 species of flowering plants, nearly 1,000 species of birds, and more than 1,500 kinds of reptiles, mammals, and amphibians. Surrounded by four seas and crossed over by two mountain ranges, this country is one of the most naturally diverse areas in the world.

 More than 10,000 California gray whales abandon the freezing waters of the Bering Sea near Alaska in November for the warm waters of the Baja California Peninsula down the Pacific Coast. Although the whales start their migration in November, the peak time for whale-watching is January through late March or early April, after the calves are born. During these months, boat excursions are available all along Baja California to view these magnificent creatures, and even touch them. Bahía Magdalena is one of the most popular destinations for whale-watching due to its proximity to the La Paz and Loreto International airports. (Baja Expeditions, www.bajaex.com, and Kuyima, www.kuyima.com, are two companies that offer whale watching tours at the Magdalena Bay and San Ignacio Lagoons.)

In one of nature's most spectacular phenomena, some 250 million Monarch butterflies migrate annually from southern Canada and the northern United States to the Oyamel mountaintop fir forests of the central Mexican state of Michoacán, where they hibernate for winter and mate in the spring. Although the butterflies can be visited anytime between November and March, the best time to see them is in February and early March, right before their offspring head north. The Monarch butterfly sanctuaries of El Rosario and Sierra Chincua surround the mountain village of Angangueo, a 45-minute drive from Zitácuaro, two hours by car or bus from Morelia and three hours by car or bus from Mexico City. (Go to www.visitmorelia.com for more information.)

Of the world's 9,000 species of birds, approximately 770 breed in Mexico and an additional 257 are found as migrants. Compare this number to the fewer than 800 species found in the United States and Canada combined, and it's evident that opportunities for bird watching in Mexico are immense.

At the Celestún Biosphere Reserve on the Yucatán Peninsula, visitors will find more than 500 species of birds including Cormorants, Frigate birds, White Ibis, Snowy, Reddish, and Gray Egrets, Double-crested Cormorants, Roseate Spoonbills, White and Gray pelicans, and Boat-billed Herons that make their home the Island of Birds (Isla de Pajaros). In addition, more than 40,000 Flamingos visit the island from April to October to feed. Visitors can view birds from rental boats but must keep a distance of 50 to 100 meters. Río Lagartos on the northern tip of the Yucatán peninsula is also a famous Pink Flamingo viewing site. (Go to www.ecoparaiso.com for details.) Other popular bird-watching destinations include Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve in Quintana Roo where 339 species of birds can be seen.

For more information on Mexico's natural excursions, go to www.ecotravelmexico.com. 

Andrea Doyle is Convene's senior writer.

Meetings Made Easy in Mexico is sponsored by Mexico Tourism. Visit its Web site at www.visitmexico.com, where you may now also complete your RFP, by clicking on the Meeting and Incentive Planners section.