BIODIVERSITY
FLOCKING TO THE AID OF LOCAL PARROTS
COCHABAMBA, BOLIVIA
Photo: Ettore Balocchi / Flickr
Wherever you travel, you may find local organizations working to protect and preserve what makes the place special. If their work is open to visitors, be sure to stop by for a chance to see something cherished or rare, like the protected parrots in Cochabamba, Bolivia.
What's
changing
Human-wildlife conflict has had catastrophic consequences for animals around the world, especially in areas where farmers come into conflict with animals and birds are seen as pests. In Bolivia, habitat loss, poaching, and extermination by local farmers reduced the population of the rare red-fronted macaw to just over 1,000 birds.
What's already
possible
In the valleys outside of Cochabamba, the Red-fronted Macaw Nature Reserve rehabilitates the relationship between local communities and the reserve’s namesake parrot. The reserve helps the community by sharing profits from tourism, offering education and protecting wildlife habitat. This changes residents’ perception of the bird from a pest to an economic benefit.
Seizing
the opportunity
Established in 2006, with support from Bolivian conservation organization Armonía, the reserve spans 50 hectares (124 acres), including a cliff that serves as the red-fronted macaw’s primary breeding site. Through education and training, the local community learned how tourism could be used as a way to earn more stable incomes. Guides and lodging at the reserve are managed by the Indigenous communities of San Carlos, Perereta and Amaya as part of the effort to link parrot protection with local economic prosperity. Income from tourism is divided into four equal parts: three parts for the communities running the reserve and one part for reinvesting in the reserve.
Standout
tactic
In addition to local education about the red-fronted macaw, the reserve erected highway signs and launched a social media campaign to reach a wider Bolivian audience.
How
it helps
In the 2021-2022 breeding season, the reserve had 23 confirmed active red-fronted macaw nests and seven possible nests, indicating that up to 30 breeding pairs were in the reserve. Plans to place nest boxes throughout the region may attract more breeding pairs. In 2022, a record number of tourists came to the reserve, generating over 105,000 Bolivian bolivianos in profit for the communities.
Diving
deeper
How much can one niche ecotourism site address local agricultural concerns of crop loss from the red-fronted macaws? Is more needed to diversify the area’s economy and improve farming practices?
Increasing
impact
The Red-fronted Macaw Nature Reserve’s dedication to its surrounding communities demonstrates the importance of addressing local needs and concerns alongside larger conservation efforts. Similar programs that allow communities to share in the profits of protecting threatened species could inspire greater local support for initiatives that could ultimately build into large-scale conservation.
Traveling
better
Travel is inherently carbon intensive. Whether you are taking a mini-break or an annual vacation, consider ways to minimize your impact by staying longer in one place, reconsidering how you travel to the destination, and supporting businesses that are working to make their community and the world a better place.
