Mexican Reserve Protects Macaws
Wednesday, October 14, 2009 at 5:00
City Parrots in Ara militaris - Military Macaw, Conservation, Eco-tourism, Habitat distruction, Poaching

This is one of just 400 Military Macaws left in the wild in Mexico.

The bird known for its bright green feathers is in danger of being wiped out.

Illegal poachers and land invaders who slash and burn their jungle are the birds’ biggest threats.

The baby parrots are stolen from their nests and sold as pets for hundreds of dollars on the black market.

In the southern state of Oaxaca, scientists have been working with locals to protect the species.

For the past eight years farmers have been encouraged to promote eco-tourism and bird watching as a way of making money.

Authorities say they want to convert an area of nearly 500,000 hectares into an ecological park.

Biologist Hector Aguilar says the numbers have increased in the region from 96 in 2001 but there's still much work to do.

[Hector Aguilar, Biologist]:
"After eight years working in conservation efforts, we are managing a little over 125 to 129 macaws which means that although we are registering between 10 to 14 chicks each year, not all of them manage to survive and their recovery rate has been very slow." 

It's not just humans who are a threat.

The macaws have a low reproduction rate and often stay with one mate for life.

While numbers dwindle elsewhere in Mexico scientists hope to boost their numbers here to 250 over the next five years.

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