ProAves Foundation – for bird conservation in the country
Strengthening the conservation
of macaws in Colombia
Strengthening the conservation
of macaws in Colombia
In 2018, the project "Strengthening the conservation of macaws (Genus Ara) in Colombia" began, co-financed by the companyJerónimo Martins,Ara storesin Colombia, through which direct conservation actions are being carried out for the two most threatened Ara species in the country: the Military Macaw (Ara militaris) and the Lemon-green Macaw (Ara ambiguus).
Macaws, belonging to the Psittacidae family of birds, are very striking due to their size and color, which has made them the subject of trade, an activity that in many cases leads to their death. In addition, deforestation has had a major impact on the species because they feed mainly on seeds and therefore depend on the existence of many tree species. They also need hollow palms in the forest to nest and reproduce.
There are six species of macaws in Colombia, which are mainly distributed in the dry and humid tropical forests throughout the country, except for theAra ambiguus, whichonly inhabits the Chocó region. All of them have suffered drastic declines in their populations due to the destruction and fragmentation of forests and illegal hunting for the pet trade.
Populations of all six species are being conserved in ProAves Reserves.
Second crusade for the conservation of Colombia's macaws
The macaw conservation project is currently being implemented in two ProAves Reserves:
1. El Dorado, located in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, department of Magdalena. In this region there are populations of two species, the military macaw (Ara militaris), vulnerable to extinction, and the blue macaw (Ara arauna).
2. White-headed marmoset, located in the Urabá region, between the departments of Antioquia and Chocó, where five of the six species native to Colombia are found, including the most endangered species, Ara ambiguus.
The overall objective of the project is to carry out conservation actions for the six species of macaws native to the country in the two ProAves Reserves, and focuses its actions on:
Assess the conservation status of Ara ambiguus in the ProAves Tití Cabeciblanco Reserveby estimating its abundance, the type of habitat it uses, and evaluating the conservation status of the habitats used.
Reducing the vulnerability of the populations of the six native macaw species native to the country in the ProAves El Dorado and Tití Cabeciblanco Reserves.
Strengthen awareness processes through media and social networks for the protection of natural resources, environmental goods, and services, with a special focus on the conservation of three species of macaws in the ProAves El Dorado and Tití Cabeciblanco Reserves.
We would like to thankJerónimo Martins and Ara stores fortheir contribution to this project and for continuing to care for the most precious treasures we have on the planet: birds.
