World's Rarest Wild Macaw to Benefit From Land Purchase for Conservation
World’s Rarest Wild Macaw to Benefit From Land Purchase for Conservation
For Immediate Release Contact:
, 202-234-7181 ext.210
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Blue-throated Macaw. Photo: Joe Tobias. |
(Washington, D.C.,
“Only about 350 Blue-throated Macaws, including as few as 50 breeding pairs, are believed to exist in the wild, so expanding the reserve was vitally important to preservation efforts for this bird,” said George Fenwick, President of American Bird Conservancy, the leading bird conservation organization in the United States.
“Sadly, the fragile habitat for the macaw was being destroyed in the rush to convert traditional farming practices to intensive soya and cattle farms. Saving this land will expand the sole protected area in this delicate ecosystem and safeguard critical habitat, not only for the macaw, but for many other threatened species, including jaguars and giant anteaters,” said Bennett Hennessey, who headed efforts for World Land Trust-US.
“By purchasing this land, we will be able to extend protection across the spectacular Omi river and create a more effective boundary against the impacts of cattle ranching, while incorporating more crucial Blue-throated Macaw habitat into the reserve. The enlarged reserve now protects five important Motacu palm forest islands. The Blue-throated Macaw depends on the oil-rich fruit of this palm tree for its survival,” said Mauricio Herrera from Armonía/ Loro Parque Fundacion Blue-throated Macaw Conservation Program.
The Blue-throated Macaw is found only in one place on Earth: the Beni Savannas of Bolivia. It is listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature), due to habitat loss and poaching for the wild bird trade. The complex system of grasslands, marshes, and forests that makes up the Beni is largely in the hands of cattle ranchers. Every year, large swaths of land are lost to intentional burning for pastureland.
The Barba Azul Nature Reserve is now being managed by Asociación Armonía Bolivia. “Barba Azul” means “Blue Beard” in Spanish, and is the colloquial name for this beautiful Bolivian endemic bird. Additionally, the preserve protects several other threatened bird species and provides habitat for large mammals such as jaguars, peccaries, pumas, giant anteaters, pampas deer, black caiman and maned wolves.
The Armonia / Loro Parque Fundacion Blue-throated Macaw Conservation Program has been striving to protect the species since 1995. Through the years, various searches carried out during the short dry season between May and October turned up several clusters of birds, usually pairs, nearly 60 miles from previously known sites. But all records were of family groups, consisting of three to five individuals, often nesting on massive ranches worth millions of dollars. Unfortunately, the protection of any one of these numerous sites would not offer sufficient protection for the threatened bird. With crucial funding from American Bird Conservancy, efforts were made to survey the most difficult-to-access areas of the Beni Savannas. Here, a vital discovery was made: a thriving colony of Blue-throated Macaws, at least 80 in number that had been overlooked by poachers. This isolated area, spanning nine private ranches, held the world’s highest abundance of Blue-throated Macaws.
By coincidence one of these ranches was for sale. Within months, World Land Trust-US and American Bird Conservancy had raised the funds necessary for acquiring the first parcel of land for the Barba Azul Nature Reserve.
The expanded reserve provides a venue for actively researching conservation techniques for the Macaw and the grassland habitat. Researchers will place and monitor nest boxes, conduct habitat regeneration studies comparing areas with and without cattle, and research habitat requirements of the macaw.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has also provided substantial funding for conservation efforts in the area. Those efforts are targeted at Buff-breasted Sandpipers and other shorebird species that stopover on their long migrations in the Barba Azul Nature Reserve.
American Bird Conservancy (www.abcbirds.org) conserves native birds and their habitats throughout the Americas by safeguarding the rarest species, conserving and restoring habitats, and reducing threats while building capacity of the bird conservation movement. ABC is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit membership organization that is consistently awarded a top, four-star rating by the independent group, Charity Navigator.
The World Land Trust-US (www.worldlandtrust-us.org) has dedicated 20 years to saving rainforests and endangered species across the tropics and saved over 1.6 million acres of rainforest and other critical habitats at imminent threat through land purchase and protection. WLT-US is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization with the top four-star rating by Charity Navigator.
The Loro Parque Fundación (www.loroparque-fundacion.org) of Spain is a non-profit organization operating internationally to promote conservation of parrots, biodiversity, the environment and sustainable development, and supports the Blue-throated Macaw Conservation Program.
Asociación Armonía (www.armonia-bo.org) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of birds and their natural habitat in Bolivia. Armonía’s conservation actions are based on scientific studies and active involvement of local communities, respecting their culture and knowledge. Asociación Armonía is the Bolivian key partner of American Bird Conservancy, BirdLife International, World Land Trust-US, and the Loro Parque Fundación.
