Cherry-picked for conservation award

01-12-2006

A study developed by SAVE Brasil (BirdLife in Brazil) on one of the rarest birds in the world, the Critically Endangered Cherry-throated Tanager, was awarded first place in the regional prize for environmental advancement, the ‘Prêmio Ecologia 2006’.

The Prize was organized by the state government of Espírito Santo to recognize and foster environmental studies, projects, activities and works developed by individuals, NGOs and companies, contributing to the social, economic and cultural development of the Espírito Santo state. The awarded study has been important to understand some key aspects of Cherry-throated Tanager ecology, foraging behaviour and their association with other bird species within canopy mixed flocks. The researchers are also working on a species population census that will feed into conservation priorities for the region.

“This prize is important because it will raise the Environment State Secretariat awareness of the relevance of conserving the unique Atlantic Forest site where Cherry-throated Tanager occur” said Pedro Develey, IBA Coordinator of SAVE Brasil.

The Cherry-throated Tanager is one of Brazil’s most enigmatic birds. First described at the end of the 19th century from the State of Minas Gerais, it was not seen again until a single sighting in 1941. Since then many researchers considered it extinct when, more than forty years later in 1998, it was rediscovered in small numbers at Fazenda Pindobas IV by researchers Ana Cristina Venturini, Claudia Bauer, Fernando Pacheco and Pedro Paz. In September 2003, small numbers were also discovered in the Caetés region. The species is classified by BirdLife as Critically Endangered.

“This prize is important because it will raise awareness of the relevance of conserving the unique Atlantic Forest site where Cherry-throated Tanager occur” —Pedro Develey, IBA Coordinator of SAVE Brasil

The awarded research by SAVE Brasil, entitled ‘Cherry-throated Tanager Nemosia rourei ecology in the Atlantic Forest of the montane region of the Espírito Santo state’, was led by Pedro Develey, IBA (Important Bird Area) Coordinator of SAVE Brasil, and developed in partnership with the researchers Ana Venturini, Pedro Paz and José Almir Jacomelli Jr. The study, expected to be concluded in January 2007, was initiated in August 2005 with the support of the Brazilian Foundation “Fundação O Boticário de Proteção à Natureza” and the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF).

To move from science to conservation action, data provided to BirdLife is turned into information and targets, and are used to influence the policies and decisions of governments, the corporate sector, other NGOs and society itself. Inter-governmental conventions on the environment are one important area where BirdLife can make a real difference. For more information visit: 'BirdLife: Conservation Science'.