Curassow reserve is a model of local-meets-global conservation

28-07-2004

El Paujil is the name the people of Colombia's Magdalena Valley give the Critically Endangered Blue-billed Curassow Crax alberti. It's now also the name of a school, and of South America's newest nature reserve, the products of a whirlwind of activity at local and global level, which promises to halt and ultimately reverse the decline of the most threatened Neotropical forest ecosystem.

Serranía de las Quinchas, five hours north-west of Bogotá by road, is the sole surviving block of Magdalena Valley Humid Forest, and a major refuge for threatened endemic species. It consists of a large massif on the east bank of the Río Magdalena, passing through a succession of ecosystems, from humid lowland forest to lower montane cloud forest, as it climbs from 150 to over 2,000 metres.

Much of the Magdalena Valley remained heavily forested until the 1960s, when the Colombian government sponsored a massive internationally-financed colonisation and infrastructure programme. Nearly four million hectares of humid lowland forest were destroyed in a little over a decade. When the National Protected Areas network was being established in Colombia in the 1970s, no National Park was established in the Magdalena Valley, because no suitable remnants of forest wilderness could be found.

The colonisation programme continued until the Magdalena Valley was almost completely de-forested. Today, only the 10,000 ha of Serranía de las Quinchas survive. These too were earmarked for colonisation and settlement, with the land divided between a number of private owners.

Then in November 2003, the company that owned the largest portion went into liquidation, and 848 ha of pristine lowland forest were put up for immediate sale. The Colombian bird conservation NGO, Fundación ProAves, managed to win a 30-day stay of execution before the land was sold off in tiny parcels to colonists, mainly to clear forest for illegal coca (cocaine) crops.

The proposed market rate was $130 per hectare. ProAves, which already manages 26 protected areas in Colombia, and coordinates a Network of private nature reserves in Antioquia, negotiated a price of $84,800 for the entire 848 ha tract. An emergency proposal was quickly drawn up and circulated across the web.

Paul Salaman

Serranía de las Quinchas is the sole surviving block of Magdalena Valley Humid Forest
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"This lowland forest is strategically placed as a buffer and sole entrance into this amazing forested massif" —Paul Salaman

Whoever owned those 848 ha also effectively controlled access to a further 3000 hectares extending all the way up to the cloud forest. "This lowland forest is strategically placed as a buffer and sole entrance into this amazing forested massif," explained Paul Salaman of Conservation International and one of ProAves's founding members.

Fundación ProAves field conservationist Alonso Quevedo visited the area for sale in late November 2003, and discovered six Critically Endangered species, four Endangered species, and nine Vulnerable species, including nesting Blue-billed Curassow, a troop of Variegated Spider-Monkey Ateles hybridus, tracks of Magdalena Tapir Tapirus terrestris columbianus, and the Magdalena Bocadito fish Prochilodus magdalenae. Although ornithological surveys are not yet complete, early signs are that the area may contain the most significant surviving population of Crax alberti remaining.

Members of BirdLife's Rare Bird Club immediately secured $35,000. These funds were channeled through American Bird Conservancy (ABC) who rapidly matched their support, plus secured the promise of a further $36,500 dollars from Conservation International's Global Conservation Fund. Thanks to the rapid and decisive actions of these organisations and individuals, $120,900 was raised for Serranía de las Quinchas in less than a month. This ensured that ProAves could commence the land purchase process and a one-year management plan to establish and protect the nature reserve.

"Everything ProAves does involves communities" —Nigel Hughes

With the recent support of the BP Conservation Award, three researchers under the guidance of ProAves' Alonso Quevedo began surveying the currasow population throughout the Nechi lowlands Endemic Bird Area (EBA), which includes this part of the Magdalena Valley. This project is intended to produce a five-year conservation strategy for the species, concentrating on training and capacity building through the involvement of Colombian students, local NGOs and Universities.

ProAves Foundation supporter Nigel Hughes provided advice that influenced BP Conservation in its decision to give the project a "Silver" award of $17,000. "With the Quinchas scheme there are many valuable side effects, greatly to the benefit of the forest itself, to other animal and plant species in it, and to the surrounding communities. Everything ProAves does involves communities, and this will provide the best guarantee for Crax alberti and other threatened species."

The new protected area has been named Reserva Natural El Paujil. ProAves and its partners intend this to be the core of a much larger reserve. "We hope to consolidate the safety of this tract of forest by further acquisitions and agreements," said Nigel Hughes. "As ProAves has found elsewhere in Colombia, you don't have to own surrounding land to protect it, if you have good neighbours."

The global importance of endemic and threatened species at the site was recently recognized by the declaration of Reserva Natural El Paujil as an Important Bird Area and also as one of just 300 Alliance for Zero Extinction sites worldwide, which BirdLife, ABC, ProAves and Conservation International are members.

Nigel Hughes

The Blue-billed Curassow still faces a very real threat of extinction over the next few years
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In consultation with ABC, Conservation International and BirdLife, ProAves is preparing the next steps in the land purchase strategy for a further 5,000 ha of forest adjoining the reserve. Unfortunately, not all neighbours are good ones. "There are some particularly urgent cases where coca cultivation is stimulating forest clearance at an unprecedented rate," he explained. "In one case, 300 ha of pristine forest beside the reserve is being sold to coca growers." But he is optimistic: in fact, the aim is to see a net gain in forest cover over the entire massif by 2006.

The road into the reserve has been repaired. It leads to the reserve headquarters which will provide accommodation for visitors, which has been improved. Given that Reserva Natural El Paujil is just five hours via good roads from both Bogotá and Medellín, Paul Salaman says the site will make an ideal Scientific Field Station for researchers and also for training courses. "This will provide a sustainable income, and also generate the information required for an effective and efficient management strategy."

But the future of the reserve cannot be assured without the commitment of the community. Their response has been extraordinarily enthusiastic: the local school of Puerto Pinzon is officially changing its name to El Paujil, and large numbers of students are helping in the reserve. "Education in Colombia is very open to outside projects, and ProAves has had huge success, especially in often under-funded rural schools," says Nigel Hughes. "The key element to successful conservation is education."

Credits: Nick Langley