{"id":32604,"date":"2023-08-15T11:42:27","date_gmt":"2023-08-15T15:42:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.laregion.bo\/?p=32604"},"modified":"2023-08-17T11:39:01","modified_gmt":"2023-08-17T15:39:01","slug":"red-fronted-macaw-how-birdwatching-tourism-and-three-quechua-communities-can-help-save-a-critically-endangered-bolivian-species","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.laregion.bo\/en\/red-fronted-macaw-how-birdwatching-tourism-and-three-quechua-communities-can-help-save-a-critically-endangered-bolivian-species\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00a0Red-fronted Macaw: How birdwatching tourism and three Quechua communities can help a critically endangered bolivian species"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Roc\u00edo Lloret C\u00e9spedes<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

On the old road that connects Santa Cruz to Cochabamba, in the tropics and valleys of Bolivia, lies a small region known as the “dry inter-Andean valleys.” Towering rock formations, as imposing as they are inaccessible, stand tall. At their base, rivers and springs flow, shrubs dot the landscape, and vast expanses of fertile land offer favorable conditions for agriculture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Back in the 60s and 70s, many parts of this area remained untouched by human hands, and large-scale commercial farming had not yet taken hold. Trees like the “cha\u00f1arillo,” with its fleshy and starchy fruits, and the “cupes\u00ed” tree, provided natural sustenance for a species that thrived in the area and nested on the cliffs: the red-fronted macaw (Ara rubrogenys).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Areas
Areas of Armon\u00eda Red-fronted Macaw Conservation Work. \/ Illustration taken from the Action Plan for the Red-fronted Macaw\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Filem\u00f3n Soto, a lean and elderly man with a prominent stature and a cheerful smile, recalls flocks of parrots, as these Macaws are usually called, landing by the riverside like a green swarm that would settle momentarily before taking off again.<\/p>

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Over the years, the landscape of brown and reddish hills started to change. The clusters of shrubs gradually faded from memory, replaced by expanding agricultural fields. As the population grew, the availability of wild fruits diminished, leading the Red-fronted Macaws to increasingly rely on cornfields and peanut plantations for sustenance. That marked the beginning of their decline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The struggle for survival<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"La
La producci\u00f3n agr\u00edcola es una de las principales fuentes de ingresos de las comunidades en esta zona. Foto: Doly Leyt\u00f3n Arnez\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The dry inter-Andean valleys encompass four departments in Bolivia: Cochabamba, Santa Cruz, Chuquisaca, and Potos\u00ed. The Red-fronted Macaw, slightly over half a meter tall, with a green body, blue wings, and a red forehead, is endemic to this region. Its only nesting site of significant importance lies within a community of no more than 40 families called San Carlos. Located five hours from Cochabamba, this village is adjacent to Perereta and Amaya, two other Quechua communities. Together, these three communities form the Perereta Peasant Subcentral, which falls under the jurisdiction of the municipality of Omereque (Cochabamba).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Currently, almost all of the native vegetation in the valleys has been replaced by agricultural fields. The “Red-fronted Macaw Action Plan 2022-2032” states that by 2008, perhaps only the municipalities of Pasorapa and Aiquile (Cochabamba) still contained the last relatively intact dry forests in central Bolivia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a consequence, the populations of Red-fronted Macaws began to decline, eventually reaching a critical point where they are now considered “critically endangered” both in Bolivia and by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature). This degradation of their habitat also led to other direct threats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
The bird is difficult to catch in flight, because it takes advantage of the cliffs to nest. Photo: Courtesy of the Harmony Civil Association.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Between 2004 and 2007, a total of 27,535 individuals from 36 species of macaws and parrots were put up for sale in the Los Pozos market in Santa Cruz de la Sierra. This information comes from the study “Conservation Status of Birds in Bolivia,” conducted by the Civil Asociaci\u00f3n Armon\u00eda, an organization dedicated to the conservation of these vertebrates. According to the report, the methods of capture, as well as the poor transportation and storage conditions, result in the deaths of 50% of individuals before they reach the points of sale. Of the survivors, 90% perish before reaching their final destination. This demand drives traffickers to capture large numbers of these birds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this context, the exotic pet markets were the main threat to the Red-fronted Macaw and two other Bolivian macaw species\u2014Blue-throated Macaw (Ara glaucogularis) and Hyacinth Macaw (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus)\u2014during the 20th and early 21st centuries. Although the international agreement on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) was signed in 1979, there was little border control until the early 21st century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We used to see the macaws, about 25 to 30 years ago, mainly by the river. They looked for a spot to settle and drink water. About 50 to 80 of them would come down. Outsiders would come, spy on them, lay out a net like the color of the stones, and catch them. They were taken away in boxes. They say they were sold for up to a hundred dollars, 300 (around 45 dollars), or 500 bolivianos (72 dollars),” recalls Vicente Vela Rocha, a resident of Amaya, describing the capture process. The method of capturing them was just one part of the trafficking chain. How they reached countries in Europe and the United States was another story\u2014chicks piled into plastic tubes, traveling by plane for up to 12 hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Cresencio
Cresencio Guzm\u00e1n, representative of San Carlos, shows the agricultural production of the area. Photo: Doly Leyt\u00f3n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This illegal market, combined with farmers’ frustration over macaws eating their crops, played a significant role in the decline of macaw populations. Often, instead of killing them, locals would capture the birds to sell them to traffickers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For farmers like Vicente or Filem\u00f3n, losing a harvest was not just an economic setback. Balancing working under scorching sun and freezing early mornings, tending to plants and watering them, all while managing household chores, took (and still takes) a toll on their physical well-being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We used to see them as birds ruining our crops. They would take the entire corn and not just a little bit, they would gulp it down. So, we thought how can we eliminate this animal? We never imagined it could generate income for us,” says Marlene Rivas, a resident of San Carlos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A gradual process<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

That’s why, back in the 2000s, when a team from Asociaci\u00f3n Armon\u00eda approached the farmers of San Carlos, Perereta, and Amaya to discuss conservation alternatives for the red-fronted macaw, their initial response was a resounding “no.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I remember that Bennett Hennessey, the organization’s Development Director, insisted that this could be seen as a site for tourism. At that time, birdwatching tourism wasn’t even a term used in Bolivia,” recalls Guido Salda\u00f1a, the current coordinator of Armonia\u00b4s Red-fronted Macaw Conservation Program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At that time, Salda\u00f1a was a young volunteer and biology student. Coming from a farming background, he was familiar with the area. Under the guidance of biologist Abraham Rojas and with the advice of important ornithologists like Bennett Hennessey and Sebastian K. Herzog, they embarked on the journey that would lead to the creation of what is now the Red-fronted Macaw Natural Reserve. This fenced area spans 50 hectares and is not only home to the Red-fronted Macaw but also hosts 134 other bird species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After several years of workshops, training sessions, talks, donations, meetings, and the community’s decision to participate in the construction of an ecotourism lodge, the Reserve began its operations in 2006. However, it wasn’t until 2011 that the first signs of success began to appear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Today
Today the community members work on their plots in front of the cliff where the macaws nest without this generating a conflict. Photo: Doly Leyt\u00f3n\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

“We didn’t know it was an important bird for Bolivia; we used to kill them, or there were people who would come and catch the parrots with traps. In 2003, a small project arrived, they built that lodge, and here we are,” says Filem\u00f3n Soto, now the representative of Perereta on the Reserve’s Administrative Committee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fruits of the Macaw<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are two types of birdwatchers, known as “birders”: those who seek to photograph specific species and the hardcore birders, whose goal is to expand their personal list of species observed throughout their lives. In both cases, while it’s becoming more common to see young enthusiasts, the majority are people over 50 with the financial means to travel to different countries and pay up to 200 dollars (or more) for a night’s lodging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00c1lex Jim\u00e9nez L\u00f3pez (32), a tourism expert and Armonia\u2019s Tourism Responsible, explains that these visitors come primarily from the United States (the largest market), Europe, and Asia. Slowly but surely, there is also a growing number of visitors from Latin America. These visitors have clear objectives and often arrive with the necessary information, their own guide, and their own transportation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Economic
Economic figures of tourism in the Red-fronted Macaw Reserve\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n