General public

Magazine article

Raising awareness of the Red-fronted Macaw. In 2008 the Red-fronted Macaw and Armonía’s conservation program were featured in the Sunday magazine of Los Tiempos (Cochabamba) and El Deber (Santa Cruz) newspapers, in the La Paz newspaper El Diario, and also in the in-flight magazine of Aerocon airlines.

Campaign against illegal trade of wild birds. In November Armonía launched a national campaign to raise awareness of the illegal trade of wild birds in Bolivia. The campaign “Extinction is Forever” included a traveling exhibit of photography and information panels that was presented in five major cities (Santa Cruz, Cochabamba, La Paz, Sucre and Trinidad), dissemination in local newspapers, on television and radio, and through posters, stickers and Armonía’s electronic bulletin.

The campaign was a tremendous success. More than 2600 people visited the traveling exhibit and the widespread media campaign reached a significant portion of the Bolivian public – approximately 2.800.000 people (Table 1). The campaign stimulated interest and support of Armonía’s efforts to raise awareness of wild bird traffic in Bolivia. Various institutions and organizations asked to use the exhibit materials in their education activities. The Vice-Ministry of Tourism is helping to distribute posters and information materials. The Bolivian Biodiversity Directorate of the Vice-Ministry of Environment has pledged to work with Armonía to combat wild bird traffic, and members of congress and the La Paz Bar association have requested Armonía’s assistance in declaring the Red-fronted Macaw national patrimony.

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Actions in 2009

Community development assistance

• Continued support of Red-fronted Macaw Ecolodge promotion, operation and administration; further training to build local capacities in lodge management.
• An apiculture technician will evaluate the community honey projects and, as needed, provide recommendations for improving production and increasing profits; loan funds to two communities for centrifuge purchase.

Environmental education and outreach

• Together with an environmental education specialist, produce didactic materials for local schools.
• Launch a campaign against Red-fronted Macaw trade that is directed toward rural audiences (municipalities, communities, schools).
• Construction of a Red-fronted Macaw exhibit in the Santa Cruz Zoo; exhibit will include interpretative panels.
• Repatriation of Red-fronted Macaws from Italy.
• In areas where the Red-fronted Macaw is considered a crop pest, work with communities to raise awareness of the conservation status of the macaw and find solutions to the problem.

Monitoring and investigation

• Annual population and breeding bird census.
• Publication of census results 2006-2009.
• Investigate Red-fronted Macaw trade through the city of Sucre.
• Continue radio telemetry study.

A total of 1800 posters and 260 stickers were distributed.

More than 2600 people viewed the traveling exhibit, which consisted of 20 panels (80 x 60 cm) presenting information and photographs of wild bird trade in Bolivia.