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Fundación ProAves – por la conservación en el país de las aves

Category: Noticias Loros Andinos

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Our ProAves Loros Andinos Reserve celebrates 16 years of conservation in the Colombian Andes

The ProAves Loros Andinos Reserve, located between the municipalities of Roncesvalles (Tolima) and Génova (Quindío), celebrates 16 years as a stronghold for the conservation of high Andean forests and páramos of the Central Cordillera, and as a key refuge for endangered parrot species.

Established in 2009 as a Civil Society Nature Reserve, it was reclassified in 2024 as the Loros Andinos Regional Natural Park in coordination with the Tolima Regional Environmental Authority (CORTOLIMA). The park protects more than 2,500 hectares of strategic ecosystems at altitudes ranging from 3,250 to 3,980 meters above sea level, forming part of the Loros Andinos Conservation Corridor, which also includes the El Mirador and Fuertes’s Parrot Reserves. Together, these areas safeguard over 6,700 hectares of vital habitat for endemic and threatened species, playing a crucial role in conserving the region’s unique biodiversity.

A refuge for unique species

Among the main species protected in the reserve are five parrots classified as threatened, three of them endemic to Colombia: the Yellow-eared Parrot (Ognorhynchus icterotis), Fuertes’s Parrot (Hapalopsittaca fuertesi), and the Rufous-fronted Parakeet (Bolborhynchus ferrugineifrons). Additionally, more than 360 bird species have been recorded here, as well as emblematic mammals such as the spectacled bear, mountain tapir, and páramo deer.

The diversity of ecosystems — including montane forests, very humid forests, and páramo zones — makes the Reserve a privileged space for scientific research, ecological restoration, and environmental education.

Over the past 16 years, the Loros Andinos Reserve has been the site of multiple conservation efforts led by Fundación ProAves, including:

  • Monitoring of threatened bird populations.
  • Propagation and restoration of key plant species, such as magnolias.
  • Environmental education activities with local communities and visitors.

On this anniversary, we reaffirm our commitment to protecting Andean ecosystems and conserving species found only in Colombia. Through science, education, and community engagement, the ProAves Loros Andinos Reserve continues to be a model of active and effective conservation.

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Reconnect with Nature: 25 Years of Planting Environmental Awareness in Our Country

Every year, many Wax Palms are used in religious celebrations without knowing that this practice is destroying the home of the Yellow-eared Parrot, an endangered bird species endemic to Colombia that depends on this palm. During this season, we make a call to reconcile with these species and prevent their extinction.

The Reconnect with Nature campaign is an environmental education strategy led by ProAves for over 25 years, carried out prior to Holy Week. Its goal is to raise awareness about the importance of conserving two iconic species that represent Colombia’s biodiversity: the Wax Palm (Ceroxylon quindiuense) and the Yellow-eared Parrot (Ognorhynchus icterotis).

This year, the campaign was implemented in Jardín, Antioquia; and Cajamarca and Roncesvalles, Tolima, where various activities were carried out with local communities on Palm Sunday to raise awareness among residents of these towns — known for hosting the largest populations of the Yellow-eared Parrot — about the importance of protecting this emblematic species.

The town of Jardín, located in the department of Antioquia, welcomed us with open arms, allowing children to learn about environmental conservation through playful activities focused on preserving this species. Additionally, adults received messages about the importance of conserving this threatened parrot, which was once on the brink of extinction.

During the event, Wax Palm seedlings were distributed to people who had suitable areas on their land to plant these species, contributing to the recovery of the palm and the improvement of the Yellow-eared Parrot’s habitat in the future.

In the towns of Cajamarca and Roncesvalles, in the department of Tolima, community engagement and awareness-raising efforts also took center stage. Through printed materials such as posters and stickers, we shared the message of reconciliation with nature and promoted environmental responsibility to protect the Yellow-eared Parrot and the Wax Palm.


The Reconnect with Nature campaign is a call to protect and respect wildlife. At ProAves, we recognize environmental education as a key action to instill awareness in children, youth, and adults, helping us move forward in protecting emblematic species of our biodiversity, such as the Yellow-eared Parrot and the Wax Palm.

With the support of:

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Great Bird Count in ProAves Reserves

ProAves participated in the October Big Day and added a total of 81 eBird lists– with 3,578 individuals and 588 distinct species of birds across 12 of their reserves.

This puts the Foundation’s Nature Reserves among the top tier of the eBird listings in Colombia: The reserve “El Jaguar” came in first place at the national level with a total of 150 species, the “El Pangán” reserve ranked fourth place with 113 species and the “Arrierito Antioqueño” reserve came in eighth place with 106 registered species.

OCTOBER BIG DAY, EVERY BIRD COUNTS

With 253 countries participating in the October Big Day (OBD), Colombia ranked first in the number of species registered worldwide on the eBird platform. The country topped the list in bird watching with 1,343 published bird species. Second and third place belongs to Peru and Ecuador, with 1,222 and 1,098 recorded species, respectively.

Colombia, known as the world’s premier hotspot for avian biodiversity, came together again and demonstrated its love for birds on the October Big Day. This citizen science initiative, organized by the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, mobilized thousands of Colombians, accumulating an incredible sum of 3,476 eBird checklists across the country. In comparison, birders from the United States submitted over 33,000 checklists, summing only 631 total species (less than half that Colombia). This is a testament to the immense biodiversity of Colombia.

The largest bird count in the world was held on a very special date, coinciding with World Migratory Bird Day and the arrival of thousands of avian migrants, coming to spend the winter months feeding in the ecological haven that is Colombia.

We thank all the people and institutions that support the conservation of birds, especially:

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Goodbye “Gonza”, Champion of the Yellow-eared Parrot

Gonzalo Cardona Molina, better known as Gonza, was born and raised on a farm in Roncesvalles, Tolima. The day he found out from Fundación ProAves about the need to support the conservation of a parrot that lived in the wax palms and accompanied him each day, he had no doubt and gave himself entirely to save the most majestic and charismatic species in Colombia, the Yellow-eared Parrot (Ognorhynchus icterotis).  

The species was on the brink of extinction in 1999. The last 81 individuals were barely surviving in the Central Cordillera of Roncesvalles, Tolima.  With alarm bells ringing that urgent actions were needed to save the species, one person more than any other stepped forward to answer the call to help this species – Gonzalo Cardona Molina.

For over 20 years, Gonzalo was THE champion to save Colombia’s greatest natural treasure. He was Fundación ProAves first employee and he did this at a time of immense danger and uncertainty. The parrots occurred in an area where battles and skirmishes between the military and guerrilla were frequent. Gonzalo and his team were regularly facing life-threatening situations to work in the region and ensure the parrots were safe. For over 20 years, everyday Gonzalo tirelessly accompanied these parrots to ensure they were not hunted and their habitat was not destroyed.

The threats were not just to the parrot, but to Gonzalo personally. He had been threatened many times by many sides unable to comprehend that he loved the parrots and was not interested in politics. They assumed he had an alternative motive, when he was simply driven to do something special.

In his last days, during the month of December 2020, Gonzalo conducted out the last national census of the Yellow-eared Parrot and the Fuertes’s Parrot, his notebook showed a still impressive number for himself: 2,895 parrots in Roncesvalles. Joy overflowed his heart with pride of his duty accomplished.

Today, Colombia didn’t just lose a precious life, Colombia lost a champion for nature and our beloved Yellow-eared Parrot’s lost their father and savior.

ProAves and his entire team express our solidarity with his family, his loved ones and the entire community of Roncesvalles, Tolima, where his impact will remain forever.

Rest in peace, Gonzalo