Sustainable community support through an ecotourism project with the threatened and endemic Red-fronted Macaw (Ara rubrogenys)

Program Personnel 

Supervisor: A. Bennett Hennessey

Coordinador: Fèlix Huaquipa Romano

Program goal

Decrease the threat to the remaining populations of the Red-fronted Macaw through ecotourism facility, community workshops to protect the macaw, and environmental education.

Program area

Dry Andean valleys (~2000 m) of the departments of Cochabamba and Santa Cruz (south of the city of Cochabamba)

Program background

In a small area of the dry Andes in Bolivia lives a rare large Macaw.  Colorful and majestic like the famous Scarlet and Blue-and-Yellow Macaws, but this Macaw only exists in a small area of specialized habitat in Bolivia.  The Red-fronted Macaw (Ara rubrogenys), named for its startling red forehead, traditionally lived in the wet riverbed vegetation in the dry valleys of department Cochabamba and Santa Cruz, but it is threatened by the conversion of these fertile lands to peanut and cornfields.  The Red-fronted Macaw has adapted to these changes, and frequently forages on corn and peanuts in these areas, but now the local farmers are starting to consider the species as a threat to their crops.  They frighten the Macaws and the vastly more abundant plague species, the Blue-headed Parakeet (Aratinga acuticaudata), from their crops with scarecrows, yelling, stone throwing and more and more frequently with shotgun fire.

The population is not safe in any protected area and the species continues to be threatened from parrot-trade traffickers.  One additional problem in protecting the bird is that the Red-fronted Macaw lives within two different human cultural groups.  The Macaw’s eastern range covers the farms of the Cambas, the Spanish speaking descendents from Spain.  But in its western range it lives amongst Quechua communities, the ancient Andean indigenous people, with the majority only speaking Quechua (the language of the Inca conquestas). 

The Red-fronted Macaw project has completed phase one of our initial conservation priority appraisal and a non-breeding population survey and community “conservation dialogue”.  This includes the collection of information on Red-fronted Macaw natural history, habitat status and community threats, attitudes and problems.  We have confirmed the range of the species- finding empty (!) a large area in the center historically assumed to have breeding birds. 

In 2004, we started working directly with the communities, conducting an education program with local schools.  This project brought together different schoolteachers from each of the regions to participate in 4 teachers environmental education workshops.  We also held birdwatching trips with the local students, and returned to the main schools to follow up on the program and present information on the Red-fronted Macaw.  The local school strike postponed our 4 regional Red-fronted Macaw festivals, which is planned for February (after the student vacation).

Though more people are aware of the importance of this species through our education program and informative project posters, and we have consistently received verbal support for the project, the level of macaws entering into the illegal bird trade does not appear to have decrease.  It is possible the demand has increased, as 2004 is a record year for Hyacinth Macaw trafficking from Brazil through Bolivia to Peru, where most of the Red-fronted Macaws are sent. The threat, like with the similar endemic Blue-throated Macaw, most likely consists in a trafficker offering cash to community members. Given the poor law enforcement in Bolivia, local community agreements to protect the macaw are our best option. 

Armonia has established a subproject within the Red-fronted Macaw program which is dedicated to research and is managed separately from our community work. We will be continuing our population research into 2005.

Figure 1. Red-fronted Macaw distribution and San Miguel proposed site for Community support ecotourism lodge. A= Rio Caine, B= Pilcomayo, C= Rio Mizque, D= Vallegrande

Program overview

Table 1.  Communities within the Red-fronted Macaw’s range.

With our well-researched information regarding Red-fronted Macaw population, habitat, community and threats, we have defined three important aspects to conserve the species for the future:

• Community driven Ecotourism
• Environmental Education
• Confirm Community support workshops

It is hard to quantify the impact- and long-term impact of environmental education. Though we know we are having an impact, we are still witnessing the trafficking of the Red-fronted Macaw.  The conservation program needs to form a presence in the area, and strong community support for the program, and we need communities to receive a benefit from protecting the macaw.  For these reasons we have designed for 2005 these three development goals for the program.

Community Driven Ecotourism

The number one answer to conservation problems is always ecotourism.  This is logical, because when it works, it truly creates a win-win scenario.  But ecotourism is not the solution to all conservation problems and is frequently falsely promoted as the complete solution.

Of the four community areas holding the Red-fronted Macaw, we would like to begin in the community of San Miguel (see map) area of Perereta. We believe ecotourism is a solution for the Red-fronted Macaw in the San Miguel area because their generated income is low, the birds are very attractive and congregate on the nesting cliffs, and the area is relatively accessible. Our ideal site in San Miguel has a breeding cliff of Red-fronted Macaws beside the lodge, where for 8 months of the year anyone (expert or novice) is guaranteed to watch them preen, fly and drink water in close ranch.

We wish to design with the community a small lodge that would hold a sleeping area and a kitchen.  The community would build this lodge. We would train staff during a three-year management transfer from the Red-fronted Macaw project to the community of San Miguel. We will have purchased the land for this lodge, which is across the river from a macaw-breeding cliff.  Through the year, we would train local community members to guide tourists to the macaws, create a simple meal plan using local dishes, and maintain the lodge.

A simple lodge of this kind would benefit the local community with profit from tourism, as well as demonstrating the value of the Red-fronted Macaws left in the wild, and would maintain a presence in the area to halt trafficking.

Environmental Education

We need to continue education workshops in all four community areas of the Red-fronted Macaw.  This will consist of presentations in local schools and Red-fronted Macaw birdwatching outings with local community members. We propose that each Red-fronted Macaw area would receive four educational presentations.  The visits to the areas will also include the continual mutual exchange the program has had with these communities with veterinarian and vaccination aid.

Confirm Community Signing

Through presentations, educational workshops and the Red-fronted Macaw festival, the local communities have confirmed their support of the conservation of the species. But birds continue to be illegally trafficked.  Following a successful idea in another Armonia project, we want to conduct more official Red-fronted Macaw workshops in the main communities within the macaws range, whereby we will solidify the workshops with the community officially signing their support of Red-fronted Macaw conservation efforts. Other projects have found that these official documents have more power to maintain community solidarity than word of mouth agreements.

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Project outcome

The education program and formally signing community support should strengthen the solidarity within communities to protect the macaws from illegal traffickers. 

The ecotourism project in San Miguel should have a more direct impact on the protection of the macaws, as the community will receive a direct benefit. With tourism, we also increase the project presence in the area and can accustom the local community to biological researchers.  Once tourism is established and properly run within San Miguel, it will offer an extra source of income.

The most important outcome of this project would be the slow developing long-term protection impact such a lodge would maintain. If the area is not going to be purchase as a private reserve or park, then we need to guarantee that our efforts are not only short-term.  A sustainable community driven ecotourism lodge will give the community this kind of protection long-term motivation.

Program period

1 year (March 2005- February 2006)

Program budget (US$)

*Armonía Conservation center support includes free usage of Bolivian Bird data base, Bird library, sound library, scientific and administrative advisory support, telephone, fax, computer usage (including GIS system), office space, office supplies and field equipment (field vehicles, sound recorders, binoculars, telescopes, tents, sleeping bags etc.).

Contact

A. Bennett Hennessey/ Director

Armonía/ BirdLife International

Lomas de Arena 400

Casilla 3566

Santa Cruz de la Sierra

Bolivia

Telf: 591-3-3568808/ Tangara@unete.com

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