Summary

The overarching goal of Armonía’s Red-fronted Macaw conservation program is to prevent the extinction of this Endangered endemic macaw through sustainable actions that integrate community development assistance and environmental education with Red-fronted Macaw monitoring and investigation. In 2008 development assistance focused on strengthening the community ecotourism and honey production projects started in 2006 in Amaya, Perereta and San Carlos as measures to improve the standard of living in the communities and generate support and direct involvement of local stakeholders in the protection of a high priority breeding site on the Mizque River. As a first step toward expanding the reach of the program to include key areas throughout the Red-fronted Macaw’s range, awareness-raising and environmental education activities were initiated with communities in the Caine and Pilcomayo river systems. Red-fronted Macaw monitoring activities included population and breeding bird censuses at key sites in the Mizque, Caine and Pilcomayo river systems and monitoring foraging behavior in areas where the macaw is considered to be a pest by local farmers. Additionally, a radio telemetry study was initiated to elucidate unknown aspects of the spatial ecology of Red-fronted Macaw.

Background

The Endangered Red-fronted Macaw is endemic to a small area on the eastern slope of the Andes in south-central Bolivia. It is locally common at a number of sites but declining throughout its range. Based on the results of censuses conducted by Armonía over the past several years, the global population size is estimated at fewer than 1000 individuals. The principal threats to the conservation of the Red-fronted Macaw are illegal trapping for the pet trade and habitat loss to agriculture and overgrazing by goats.

The survival of the Red-fronted Macaw depends on sustainable actions that incorporate rural development needs with conservation needs. Armonía’s Red-fronted Macaw conservation program is achieving this through an integrated approach that includes three principal lines of action:

• Sustainable community development assistance
• Environmental education and outreach
• Monitoring and investigation

Since 2005 community conservation actions have focused on the protection of a high priority nesting site on the Mizque River where we are working with three communities - Amaya, Perereta, San Carlos - in the development of community tourism and honey production as measures to improve the standard of living in the communities and generate support and direct involvement of local stakeholders in the protection of the Red-fronted Macaw and its habitat. Armed with the experience gained from this work our present goal is to extend the reach of the program to key communities in the Caine and Pilcomayo river systems, while continuing to provide assistance needed to strengthen the community development initiatives in progress.

Program personnel
Coordinator: Abraham Rojas
Co-coordinator: Guido Saldaña
Telemetry project: Anahí Paca

Supported by

Naomi Lupka Trust
Olewine Family
Thomas Henry Wilson Sr. and Jr.
Vogelpark Walsrode
Wendy’s Parrots