Private Guardians of the Blue-throated Macaw

01-03-2001

An event in honour of the endemic and critically endangered Blue-throated Macaw Ara glaucogularis was held in November 2000 in Beni, northern Bolivia. Among those attending were the Bolivian Government's Biodiversity Director, the President of the Cattle Ranchers Federation, the Wildlife Chief of Beni, and a local government representative.

Speeches focused on the Blue-throated Macaw, its importance for Bolivian nature conservation and the role of private landowners in strengthening the conservation process. Alan Hesse of Armonía (BirdLife in Bolivia) delivered an audiovisual presentation on the conservation project and the steps landowners can take to ensure the efficient protection and conservation of the species at a local level.

Blue-throated Macaw Honorary Guardian certificates were presented to five key landowners, each of them owning land on which the species has been found. The certificates bore the signatures of Queen Noor of Jordan, BirdLife's Honorary President, the Bolivian Vice Minister of the Environment, the president of the Cattle Ranchers Federation of Beni, and the president of Armonía.

The event was a definite success and an important step forward in obtaining the formal commitment of landowners to protecting Blue-throated Macaws on their lands. The project now hopes to implement conservation recommendations, such as the protection of macaws on Guardians' lands from trappers and the sensible management of key habitats, such as palm groves and forest islands.