The importance of Peruvian researchers to parrot conservation Alan Lee The parrot family is one of the most enigmatic of all the bird families in the world. Yet it is surprising how little is known about them. When I first came to Peru in 2002 I had seen only the parrot that are found in South Africa, which are brown and boring and not used on marketing material in the same way as nearly every travel company and many other companies besides, use parrots or macaws as logos. In southern Africa there are only 4 species of parrot out of a total of 900 species of birds. In Peru, there 51 out of a total of 1800 species. Parrots are a symbol for the diversity and beauty of the natural resources that Peru is blessed with, and there story is one echoed by other birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles. Peru a special place when it comes to one of the most loved families of bird. Unfortunately, that love of parrots is also one of the reasons that they are so threatened today. In 2003 José González (of La Molina) published the results of his research into harvesting for the pet trade in northeastern Peruvian Amazon. There the harvesting and local trade of parrot nestlings is still a common practice (loreada) that takes place every year between February and April, despite being banned by the national laws. Up to over 600 individuals from seven species of parrots were collected by cutting down the nesting tree or opening a hole in the trunk to reach the nest cavity, destroying nest-trees and removing the next generation. Ara ararauna, Ara macao and Amazona amazonica are being over-harvested and may be seriously threatened in the long term. To be killed for love may be a romantic way to go, maybe even a strange excuse. Around the rapidly growing town of Puerto Maldonado in Madre-de-Dios parrot face numerous threats caused by ignorance, greed and the needs of a growing population. The giant trees of the forest, like the grandfather of all trees – the Shihuahuaco – which can live to over 1200 years, are being cut down at an incredible rate for “parquet” and “carbon”. These trees are the homes for 6 species of parrots in the Tambopata region, and nearly 90% of Ara chloropterus nest in Shihuahuacos. So what will they do when all their nests are gone? And what will they eat when the small scale agriculture that spreads along the growing network of logging roads sees the last of the Wasai palms and other important food trees fall? With the Interoceanic highway now cutting across Madre de dios, the threats from colonisation and large scale agriculture are will undoubtedly see the destruction of large parts of what was once one of least untouched areas of Amazonia forest. It was in the face of the threat of hunting to the world’s largest clay lick that Eduardo Nycander and Kurt Holle started investing methods to save endangered species of macaws by establishing the Tambopata Research Centre in 1989, before the establishment of the Tambopata National Reserve. They knew that only about 5% of the macaw population could reproduce every year due to the shortage of natural nesting sites, so they set about designing and trying artificial nests. The artificial nests developed there are now used in parrot projects across Latin America. In 2000 the project was handed over to Dr Donald Brightsmith, who continued this work with the help of many international and Peruvian volunteers. The help of Peruvian students working on thesis and Masters projects have been invaluable to the progress of our understanding of the dynamics of parrots and their environment. Adriana Bravo, now doing her PhD at Louisiana State University, USA, conducted work on the nesting ecology of Ara ararauna in Mauritia (Aguaje) palm swamps. Close to the Tambopata Research Centre there is a dying palm swamp that has resulted in a very high nesting density of this beautiful bird. She discovered that on average for every 5 eggs that were laid, only one chick survived and fledged. Ara ararauna do not like the pvc nests that Ara macao and Ara chloropterus use, but instead it was found that by managing an area of around 4 hectares of palm swamp by chopping off the tops of 5 palms per year, that each dead palm potentially provides nesting sites for macaws for up to 7 years. Romina Aramburú Muñoz-Najar, also of La Molina, helped Donald Brightsmith monitor the clay lick at one of the study sites, Posada Amazonas. The results were surprising – before everyone thought that the parrots were eating clay merely to counter the toxins found in the parrot’s natural diet. However, Romina’s research found that the birds were actively choosing exposed sections of clay that had significantly more sodium than the other sites where they were not feeding. Sodium is a very important element for animal biochemistry and is found only in low concentrations in most plants. So this work showed that clay licks are more important and more complicated than people had first believed. Several other thesis have been conducted with the project, including foraging behaviour, phenology patterns, chick development, and parent behaviour of chicks in the nests using video cameras. Currently at the lodges Posada Amazonas and Refugio Amazonas Yesenia Quispe of Puerto Maldonado is doing her thesis on the impacts of tower tourism on flight patterns and behaviour of surrounding birds. There is potential for much more work to be done. These sites are very comfortable for doing research from, with access to internet and students from international universities also doing research projects. The project offers students access to good literary resources, and advice and expertise from published professionals. In addition, there is great exposure to one of Peru’s most sustainable activities – ecotourism, and many volunteers have gone on to guide for Rainforest Expeditions using the wealth of information and experience that the project provides. In conclusion, the future of some of the most important natural resources are in the hands of some dedicated Peruvians, many of whom are working long hours under laborious conditions so that we may better understand some of the most beautiful birds in the world. It is only through a better understanding of the world around us that we will better be able to create better education programs that express the importance of conserving these resources for the benefit of future generations and the welfare of Peru, and even of the world. In the face of much antipathy, and sometimes even malice, a dedicated bank of researchers continues to work for the preservation of the special places on our planet. We applaud them, and Rainforest Expeditions will continue to play its part in supporting them. To find out more, please feel free to speak to any of the researchers who are hosted at all 3 Amazonian lodges.
