Mongabay: If we lose all of the Cantemo trees, could the scarlet macaws live in other kinds?
Luis Fernando Guerra: Here in Guatemala, about 80 percent of them use those trees. Yes, they can use other trees but they do have their preference.
The loss of habitat caused by fires is a big threat to the scarlet macaw population. That nest you visited is a very good nest. It’s active every year. If the fire had taken it, it would have been a great loss because it’s a nest that is active year after year. We always get the chicks to fly from there. It’s very easy to monitor because it’s so close, too.
Mongabay: What strategies are WCS taking to help bolster the scarlet macaw population?
Luis Fernando Guerra: The idea for us is to work with the populations on-site—which is here in the jungle—and to get more chicks to fly. Normally the macaws put three to four eggs in each nest but not at the same time. The third chick sometimes dies because the macaws are feeding the two older ones, and the smaller one almost never gets food. We’ve started to work a little on species management. We take the third bird, feed it in this laboratory over here and then we look for an adoptive nest, other nests where maybe there is only one chick, of about the same age, and we place the chick there.
Wildlife Conservation Society Technician Antonio Xol working with a scarlet macaw chick in the Laguna del Tigre National Park laboratory. Photo courtesy of WCS/Hannah Emde.
Mongabay: But does the mother always accept the new chick?
Luis Fernando Guerra: They almost always accept them. We haven’t had problems with them not accepting a chick, or with the macaw not wanting to return to the nest due to human presence. They are a very manageable species.
The nesting season starts more or less at the end of January until the end of August, which is when the last chicks finish flying. Then … the nests are checked, the nests are cleaned, some nests are occupied by bees, which is reported. We manage about 90 to 100 nests and then we only work with the active nests. An active nest is one where the macaw lives and lays eggs.
In the end, there are an average of about 25 to 30 active nests per season. The idea is that the same number of birds fly each year—keeping it one to one, one chick per nest. That is a good reproduction index for us.
Mongabay: Have you seen long-term improvement in their population?
Luis Fernando Guerra: There are good and bad years. For example, there are years when the climate is very bad, so the following year, there is little available food and the macaws feed less and have less chicks. But we have seen that with the help of the monitoring we have done, many times we have managed to keep it one to one. So, basically, that’s what we work for.
A Scarlet Macaw pokes its head out of its nest in Laguna del Tigre National Park. Photo courtesy ofWCS/Hannah Emde.
Mongabay: We can’t talk about threats to the scarlet macaw without at least mentioning illegal trafficking. Luckily, it appears that the trend has declined in recent years.
Luis Fernando Guerra: Yes, now it’s very complicated to traffic scarlet macaws. There is a lot of surveillance. But there are areas that we sometimes don’t have access to and that many local community members know well…
Obviously there is a lot of trafficking of parrots, not only of macaws, which are both wanted as pets. Most of the market is in Guatemala City, where people want pets. And as long as that market exists, there will always be illegal trafficking.
Mongabay: Do you have concerns about the state of the scarlet macaw habitat in areas of the Maya Biosphere Reserve most affected by fires, such as Laguna del Tigre National Park?
Luis Fernando Guerra: The importance of the Laguna del Tigre National Park is immense. There is great biodiversity here and the Maya Biosphere Reserve is one of the biggest stretches of forests in Meso-america. I think it’s very important that you fight for its conservation.
If the threats continue, they will spread throughout the reserve and cause problems because we are going to lose the biodiversity that exists in Guatemala—plants, animals, all kinds of animals. It is important that people know that all this is here, that this exists. Because many times, people in Guatemala City ask me, “And are there still jaguars? Are there still macaws?” They think there’s nothing left!
Wildlife Conservation Society Technician Pedro Díaz checks on a Scarlet Macaw nest in Laguna del Tigre National Park. Photo courtesy ofWCS/Hannah Emde.
Mongabay: So many people think the battle has already been lost?
Luis Fernando Guerra: Exactly. That’s why it’s important to understand the situation, right? Because people usually say, “Oh, how sad about the fires and all that.” And they believe that everything is lost. But that is only a part of the story.
Mongabay: Despite those outside perceptions, do you have hope that attempts to save the scarlet macaw will be successful in years to come?
Luis Fernando Guerra: Yes, as long as this forest and possibilities to reproduce and have food exist, yes, the macaw has hope.
–
Banner image: A scarlet macaw returns to its nest high in a Cantemo Tree in Laguna del Tigre National Park. Photo courtesy of WCS/Estuardo Maldonado.
Editor’s note: This story was powered by Places to Watch, a Global Forest Watch (GFW) initiative designed to quickly identify concerning forest loss around the world and catalyze further investigation of these areas. Places to Watch draws on a combination of near-real-time satellite data, automated algorithms and field intelligence to identify new areas on a monthly basis. In partnership with Mongabay, GFW is supporting data-driven journalism by providing data and maps generated by Places to Watch. Mongabay maintains complete editorial independence over the stories reported using this data.
Feedback: Use this form to send a message to the editor of this post. If you want to post a public comment, you can do that at the bottom of the page.
Agriculture, Animals, Birds, Cattle, Cattle Pasture, Cattle Ranching, Deforestation, Endangered, Environment, Fires, Forest Fires, Forests, Green, Habitat Loss, Parrots, Primary Forests, Rainforests, Tropical Forests, Wildlife
Central America, Guatemala
Source link : https://news.mongabay.com/2019/06/saving-guatemalas-vanishing-macaws-qa-with-veterinarian-luis-fernando-guerra/
Author :
Publish date : 2019-06-27 03:00:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
