Saving the Blue Billed Curassow, Colombia (Follow-up Award 2005)
After successfully completing their initial conservation project on the blue billed curassow (Crax alberti) in the Magdalena Province of Colombia, the project received a 2005 Follow-up Award. The team has now been able to extend their range of influence and they are now working in other areas of the country, including the department of Cordoba in northwest Colombia, where a prioritization of threats has been crucial to implementing new conservation strategies.

Three new investigations with the species are currently advancing, focusing on reproductive biology, diet, density and behavior. In the medium term, these investigations will inform scientists and the conservation community on the curassow’s natural history and will encourage conservationists to continue working for their protection. The goals drawn up within this strategy have already shown excellent results for the conservation of this important species and its habitat. Research conducted by the team has shown a remarkable increase in the number of individuals, knowledge of its biology and community awareness.

With regards to environmental education activities, a curassow reserve was established for the protection of this species, and a national course on bird ringing and conservation was conducted in August with 40 participants from different parts of the country. The Second National Curassow Festival and worldwide bird festival will be conducted in October, and twice as many participants as last year are expected based on the fact that the degree of awareness has increased among local communities living in close proximity to the species.

Project Pawi: Recovery of the Trinidad Piping-Guan, Trinidad (Gold Award 2005)
The Project Pawi team successfully completed their first phase of work in May, laying the ground work by collecting information, establishing a network of contacts and collaborators and beginning to investigate survey methodologies. They have established a database of information on the Trinidad Piping-guan, including both historical and more recent publications and unpublished reports, which will prove useful for future researchers since much of what is known about this species is difficult to obtain. With a great deal of support from the Pawi Group, the team established a network of contacts from various sectors, including government, academics, nature enthusiasts, ecotourism operators and local landowners.

As the project moved into the second fieldwork phase, their focus was on designing and testing a survey method for the Pawi that could be both workable and statistically valid. Having completed preliminary assessments of the Pawi’s behavioural routines, particularly calling patterns, and maximum detection distances at a study site in Grande Riviere, the team began point count surveys. Initially, attention was directed at four areas of the Northern Range that were identified as ‘key sites’ for the Pawi during discussions with the Wildlife Division. In an attempt to facilitate future studies of the species, the team also designed and erected a trial feeding station at the study area in Grande Riviere, which was preceded by extensive discussions with property owners and the Pawi Group and by a full cost-benefit analysis.

Having completed 51 point counts during early morning peak calling periods, the team failed to detect a single individual. This prompted them to re-estimate the calling probability of the species at the same site at Grande Riviere. In doing so they discovered that it was apparently much lower than their initial experiences suggested, possibly reflecting the movement of individuals or seasonal variations in calling rate. Although the negative result produced by point counts goes some way to confirming the extreme rarity and/or cryptic nature of the species, it suggests that large scale point count surveys are an impractical and inefficient way of surveying the Pawi. Based on these results, the team intends to concentrate efforts on a more intensive study of the individuals at Grande Riviere. If this proves to be successful, they will possibly repeat the exercise in less disturbed habitat. In addition, interviews will be conducted with local landowners, hunters and guides to give another measure of the Pawi’s distribution, how it has changed over time and to better understand the impacts of hunting on the species.

YARÉ: Yariguíes Assessment and Research of Endangered species, Colombia (Silver Award 2005)
Since beginning the YARE Project, the team has had support from many institutions and individuals involved in Serranía de los Yariguíes’ conservation process, from local town authorities and community members, to the environmental office and the main environmental regulatory institution of Santander. The YARE team recently completed the first stage of their project. They visited three unique and unexplored primary forest sites of the Yariguíes mountain range in the high Colombian Andes. At each of these sites they conducted a biological study using ‘Rapid Assessment Protocols’ in which they observed and heard populations and found interesting species in all taxonomic groups studied, some of them threatened and unique (e.g. Gorgeted Wood-Quail Odontophorus strophium) and others undescribed (e.g. a new Brush-Finch and a Satirid butterfly).

These discoveries have shown the team even more about the natural treasures of the Yariguíes Mountains. In order to share their results, the team organised various meetings with local communities and the national government, with the goal of increasing awareness about the richness of the area and to raise awareness about conservation issues affecting these precious forests. They brought together representatives from various local groups including farmers, hunters, children, heads of families, government representatives, schools, churches, police, and others, leaving a well established group of regional people committed to the conservation of the Yariguíes mountains. Research results will be used to identify zones of high diversity to produce a co-operative conservation strategy focusing on areas where habitat and species are most threatened.

As the first big achievement of YARE, the team submitted a preliminary biological assessment on the Serranía de los Yariguíes to government authorities and proposed Yariguíes as a national park. Based on this report, Fundación ProAves Colombia bought some land to protect an important part of this unique forest as a private Nature Reserve. Finally, the project received regional recognition in an article published in a Santander newspaper ‘Vanguardia Liberal’: http://www.vanguardia.com/sema/ola.htm

Assessment of Seabird Bycatch in Artisanal Fisheries, Peru (Bronze Award 2005)
Most of the preparatory activities for the project have been completed, such as obtaining permits and designing datasheets. Eight trips to sea have been conducted by the team in order to gather information on seabird bycatch as on-board observers on longline and gillnet vessels departing from the ports of Ilo and Salaverry on the southern and central coast, which are areas that have high seabird-fishery interactions. Three observers went on the vessels to monitor fishing techniques and seabird interactions, with the target species being sharks for these trips, and approximately 980 hours of data have been gathered. No seabirds were caught on these trips – bycatch was composed of sea turtles and dolphins. In the coming months, more trips will be carried out, originating also from the port of Callao.

A series of talks and seminars to marine authorities at the Port of Paita and a school for fishermen at the CEP-Paita training center took place in late August, and three more workshops will also be conducted in fishing ports along the coast. A very exciting piece of news is that the Peruvian government has ratified the ACAP (Agreement for Conservation on Albatrosses and Petrels) under the Convention for Migratory Species. This agreement held its first meeting of parties in July 2005. Unfortunately, there were no Peruvian representatives in attendance. The team is hopeful that the information gathered during this study will be useful to the representatives during the next meeting of the parties.

Threatened Birds of Bolivia (Consolidation Award 2004)
As a result the project's efforts, the Southern Horned Curassow has been uplisted to globally Endangered according to the IUCN Redlist for 2005 as reported by BirdLife International. Plans are now being made with the IUCN Cracid Specialist Group to expand the team’s work. There is a lot more work to do, but without the support of the BPCP, the species could easily have disappeared before anyone had had the chance to conserve it.

The rest of the project also continues to go well. The project’s biodiversity inventory teams are forging ahead with their fieldwork assessing the conservation importance of potential ‘Important Bird Areas’ throughout Bolivia, and they now have preliminary results for inventories at 41 sites. So far the results collected include 2,892 new distributional records for birds, 319 for amphibians and 184 for reptiles. Additionally, 2,541 butterfly specimens and 9,098 dung beetles have been collected and are in the process of being identified. The results are still preliminary, but following consultation with national experts they believe these totals include five un-described amphibian, three reptile and one bird species. Work is ongoing on this and visits to museums abroad will be needed to confirm the results.

Conservation of Melocactus actinacanthus, Cuba (Bronze Award 2004)
Prior to July, only three Critically Endangered M. actinacanthus cactus plants were known. But during an undergraduate training course, two mature and 18 young plants were discovered by the team. These newly discovered plants are growing a bit closer to the original locality for this species, but are not found in the deep cliffs. Seeds from the mature plants were collected in order to increase genetic diversity of ex situ collections as a way of reinforcing the wild population, and more than 90% of those seeds were germinated.

Ensuring Effective Conservation for Endangered Grassland Birds, Uruguay (Bronze Award 2004)
During the winter months, grassland birds (Sporophila sp.) aren’t found in Uruguay. Therefore, the team has used this time for educational activities, training team members in monitoring techniques and creating posters. They have been teaching children from schools throughout Uruguay about the conservation of grassland habitat and the threatened birds that use this habitat. They prepared a monitoring training for students and volunteers who will be joining in project activities next spring. A monitoring manual was prepared for the team, and they were able to practice various field techniques. Bird monitoring will commence will commence in October and go through December, which will be spring in Uruguay. By reviewing the previous season’s monitoring programme, the team has from previous successes and failures and are better prepared for the upcoming work.

Project Hapalopsittaca, Colombia (Consolidation Award 2003)
Based on data collected from 12 natural nests and 21 artificial nests, the team has determined that the reproductive season of Hapalopsittaca fuertesi is between the months of January and May. The achieved reproductive success in this season was 83.3% – a value that corresponds to the rate of nests with youth in optimal conditions.

The artificial nests are extremely functional, to the point that other parrot species not considered endangered, such as the Bronze-winged parrot (Pionus chalcopterus) and the White-capped parrot (Pionus seniloides), have nested in these cavities. The design of the nests was based on identified reproductive requirements, and the team used native wood and substrates from existing sawmills for the construction of the nests. Their success is due in part to the low number of natural nests in the area. Additionally, factors such as location, height, forest borders and fodder zones, and cavity size were all taken into account when deciding on placement of the nests, and have proven to be important to their selection by these species. In the future, the team plans to extend the program for other parrot species with the potentiality of conditioning themselves to the use of nests, generating strategies that could be traduced in the increase of the population of viable endangered species.

By next month, more than 9000 people, including children, teenagers and adults, will have participated in educational activities carried out by the project, such as the Parrot Bus campaign. These environmental education programs and activities have lead to an increased understanding of the importance of conserving natural resources, with a special emphasis on endangered parrot species and their habitats. Other advancements include the development of criteria to select focal areas for the conservation of threatened Andean parrots. Efforts have been focused on creating a protected area specifically for these species.

Integrated Approach Toward Giant Otter (Pteronura brasiliensis) Conservation, Bolivia (Follow-up Award 2003)
Dirk Schaerlaekens left Bolivia for Belgium after being a FaunAgua-volunteer for almost 9 months. He has been assisting with giant otter field expeditions in the Bolivian Pantanal, the Ichilo river and the Blanco river basin. The eco-volunteer program successfully started with two volunteers from the USA – Dan Schwab and Diane Grimm, who joined the team to help with distribution surveys and population estimates. They traveled along the San Martín and Orince rivers in the Itenez river basin and observed three giant otter groups, each with more than five individuals. This was a very positive experience for both the volunteers and the team, which plans to continue the eco-volunteers programme.

The team published a giant otter triptych for distribution amongst interested community members, and they are considering creating an English version in order to spread the word and garner more international support. Beginning in October, the team will have a full-time designer working in FaunAgua, who will produce more than eight educational products and giant otter information leaflets. The children’s drawing book, “Pancho La Londra,” created by the team is also doing well. They recently published 2000 additional copies for WWF-Bolivia for local distribution. Additionally, the FaunAgua administration building and guest house keeps on growing. They installed one more office, and now have more space for the administration of giant otter activities.

The team recently signed a cooperation agreement with a zoo on the Isle of Man. In exchange for a small financial contribution to in situ giant otter research, FaunAgua provides the zoo with educational materials. If you ever visit the Isle of Man, please visit the giant otter stand!

Soul of the Andes, Argentina (Follow-up Award 2003)
The Andean Cat team recently joined forces with Oxford University and partners of the Andean Cat Alliance to undertake an innovative, cross-border initiative aiming to study and protect the Andean cat around the triple frontier of Argentina, Bolivia and Chile. This is a relatively undisturbed region of the Puna where most of the recent sightings of this rare animal have taken place.

The project has been awarded a prestigious Darwin Initiative Grant from the UK government. The multinational staff will be lead by Dr. Claudio Sillero from WildCRU at Oxford, with field activities spearheaded by Dr. Mauro Lucherini of GECM-UNS. Other participants include colleagues from the Museo de Ciencias Naturales de Salta (Argentina), Colección de Fauna de Bolivia, and Biodiversitas (Chile). The chief aim of this 3-year project will be to achieve Puna biodiversity conservation by promoting collaboration across national boundaries and disciplines, using the Andean cat as a flagship species.

The next activity to be undertaken by the project will be the organization of a workshop on ‘Education for the Conservation of the Andean Cat’ in November. The purpose of the workshop is to share experiences and organize a global education and community participation campaign, with participants coming from Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Peru.