Asociación Armonía

BirdLife International

Ave. Lomas de Arena 400, Casilla 3566, Santa Cruz – Bolivia

Phone/Fax: +591-(0)3-3568808; E-mail: armonia@armonia-bo.org

Armonía July 2005

Update

The following is a brief update regarding all of Armonía’s actions and projects in Bolivia. These notes are produced to update individuals and institutions regarding general advances within our projects and our conservation actions. For more detailed information we recommend you contact specific program coordinators, Armonía (armonia@scbbs-bo.com) or A. Bennett Hennessey (abhennesssey@armonia-bo.org).

I would like you to consider supporting Asociacion Armonia’s Bird Conservation efforts with a donation check written to Asociacion Civil Armonia, 48 Douglas drive, Norwalk, CT, 06850 (Membership is US$ 25). Asociacion Armonía is now able to receive US tax deductible donations by individuals of 300 US$ or more. A cheque needs to written to American Friends of BirdLife International Inc. with a note stating that you are sending a cheque for _,___,___ US$ to American Friends of BirdLife International Inc, for Asociacion Armonia's Bolivian Bird conservation efforts. Could you also email this note to abhennesey@armonia-bo.org. A tax receipt will be sent to your return address. The cheque must be sent to: American Friends of BirdLife International Inc., c/o Chapel & York, PMB 293, 601 Pennsylvania Avenue NW,

Suite 900, South Building, Washington, DC 20004, USA.

This update can be distributed without authorization. We would appreciate receiving any comments, suggestions, or opinions that may help us in our work.

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Contents

Armonia Bird Conservation Centre

Armonia Distributional Bird Database: Update and Conversion

Ash-breasted Tit-tyrant Anairetes alpinus and Royal Cinclodes Cinclodes aricomae Conservation Program

Bird Conservation Research Centre “Los Volcanes”

Blue-throated Macaw Ara glaucogularis Conservation Program

Palkachupa the Bolivian Swallow-tailed Cotinga Phibalura boliviana Conservation Project

Cochabamba Mountain-Finch Poospiza garleppi conservation and habitat assessment

VII. Conference on Ornithology and Bird Conservation in Bolivia

Conservation assessment of the Bolivian Spinetail Cranioleuca henricae

Darwin Initiative Bolivian Key Biodiversity Areas Project

David Snow Library

Distribution and conservation status of a new species of Phyllomyias tyrannulet

Important Bird Area Program

Red-fronted Macaw Ara rubrogenys Conservation Project

Southern Horned-Curassow Pauxi unicornis population census

Titicaca Flightless Grebe Rollandia microptera conservation project

Wattled Curassow Crax globulosa Conservation Program

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Armonia Bird Conservation Centre

Administrative Director, Silvia Chavez; schavez@armonia-bo.org

Project area: City of Santa Cruz de la Sierra

Presently the Armonia Bird Conservation Centre offers a public bird and conservation library, book, handicraft and T-shirt sales and wall mounts displaying our different projects. The work area provides space for 12 people which is adequate for 2005. We wish to improve the effectiveness of our project support by finding more (and better quality) binoculars, telescopes, computers, maps, and camping equipment.

Armonía has two field vehicles, but these are dedicated to Blue-throated and Red-fronted Macaw conservation programs. Ideally, we need to be able to offer conservation projects a 4x4 vehicle so that minimally funded, short-term conservation projects can proceed without the need to seek sufficient funds to hire a vehicle to get to and from the field, a cost as much as US$ 100 a day. We are seeking US$ 8,000 to purchase a small used jeep for short duration conservation project usage. We will also be searching for additional support to construct another work area in 2006, which will cost approximately US$ 10,000.

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Armonia Distributional Bird Database: Update and Conversion

Project Coordinator, Sebastian K. Herzog; skherzog@armonia-bo.org, and Database Manager, Rosa Ines Strem

Project area: Armonía Centre for Conservation, Santa Cruz de la Sierra

Armonía's Distributional Bird Database on all of Bolivia's bird species represents the scientific heart of many of our conservation projects. Extensive, precise, and reliable information on the distribution of Threatened bird species and on the whereabouts of centres of diversity and endemism is imperative as a basis for responsible and successful actions in the field of conservation. Of course, it is necessary to constantly update our data base to the degree that new data on the distribution of Bolivian birds are being collected. At the same time, easy access and the capability of customized queries are important characteristics of a professional, useful database. Thanks to the support from the Bolivia Program of The Nature Conservancy, Armonía now operates a database that unites all those characteristics. After restructuring and converting to a new system, the number of records entered is increasing rapidly. We currently have just over 32,000 records in the system, but this corresponds to less than half of the available data in our library. Unfortunately, data base funding runs out in November 2005, and we will need US$ 4,000 to complete entry of all the data available at present. Access to our database is open and free of charge to the public.

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Ash-breasted Tit-tyrant Anairetes alpinus and Royal Cinclodes Cinclodes aricomae Conservation Program

Project Coordinator, Isabel Gomez; dubusia@yahoo.com

Project Area: High Andes of La Paz

Isabel Gomez began working on these Endangered and Critically Endangered species, respectively, in 2003, through a BP student grant. She has discovered several new sites for these two species. Isabel has submitted a manuscript describing the results of the first phase of this project to an international scientific journal.

Through the continued research support of BP conservation funds, Isabel will begin conducting ecological research on the Ash-breasted Tit-tyrant regarding their reproduction, territory size and behaviour. This information will be essential for the species long-term conservation efforts.

Attempting to cover the broad width of actions that are always necessary for responsible conservation, through a grant from Naomi Lupka Trust, Carolina Garcia has begun conducting meetings with the local communities that live near the final fragments of Polylepis forests. The objective of these meetings is to present information regarding the importance of these last forest fragments, and to search for ways- with the community’s participation- to decrease the threats to these forests and their fauna.

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Bird Conservation Research Centre “Los Volcanes”

Project Director, Sebastian K. Herzog; skherzog@compuserve.com

Pr Project Area: Andean foothill valley of Santa Cruz department

The banding of birds through the capture with mist nets is a commonly used method in ornithological studies throughout many parts of the world. Although this technique provides useful data for both scientific studies and conservation planning, very few ornithological projects in Bolivia include a banding program. In the Refugio Los Volcanes, a private reserve immediately adjacent to Amboró National Park, we have been banding birds since September 2002. To date we have banded over 1600 individuals of over 80 species, including both residents and migratory species breeding in North America and austral South America. For example, we have banded six Bolivian Recurvebills, a Threatened species endemic to Bolivia, of which only five specimens exist in all the world's museums combined. The Swainson's Thrush, on the other hand, is a North American breeder that regularly winters in Los Volcanes from October to March, and we have banded more than 200 individuals of this species. We have even recorded recaptures of birds that were originally captured in previous winters, showing that those birds return each year to exactly the same wintering grounds after a migratory journey of several thousands of miles!

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Blue-throated Macaw Ara glaucogularis Conservation Program

Armonía/ Loro Parque Fundación

Project Supervisors, A. Bennett Hennessey; abhennessey@armonia-bo.org; David Waugh; environment@loroparque-fundacion.org

Project Area: Llanos de Moxos (savannahs), Department of Beni.

The Blue-throated Macaw conservation program has moved on steadily since its directive change in January 2004. Mauricio Herrera, working as the project coordinator, has been conducting new field surveys with other Bolivian biologists, covering most of the southern region of the population and is now reviewing new sites in the northern region. In this region the Blue-throated Macaw was found 60 miles west of previously known sites, widening the potential range of the species.

This information will be useful for monitoring the population changes in the area in the future. Since January, we were able to monitor two successful nests in the southern region, one nest rearing two chicks. Recently both adult pairs with chicks have been seen flying in the field, indicating that their reproduction was successful through the most difficult period. We are also working on expanding the program for next year using local people, including parabiologists as nest monitors.

We are taking advantage of the dry season to attempt to complete our wide scale Blue-throated Macaw distribution study. Presently Mauricio along with Bolivian biologists, and parabiologists, is covering the most likely sites for the Blue-throated Macaw that have never undergone ornithological research. By the end of September, we will have the most comprehensive map of the distribution of the Blue-throated Macaw, whereby we will be able to draw priority conservation decisions based on the bird numbers and threats in the different areas.

Saving a Critically Endangered Macaw that lives in a vast area of only privately owned ranches, is a daunting task. Though the program is adequately funded, we could always do more. The program is seeking a donation of US$ 50,000 to cover more nest site protection and monitoring; and to begin aerial census techniques during the inundating rainy season.

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Bolivian Swallow-tailed Cotinga Phibalura boliviana Conservation Project

Project Supervisor: A. Bennett Hennessey; abhennessey@armonia-bo.org. Project researcher, Sandro Valdez; Palkachupa@armonia-bo.org

Project area: Apolo savannahs and semi-humid forests, Madidi N. P.

With WCS support, we have completed the Brazilian research of the sister Brazilian Swallow-tailed Cotinga. The research has shown more variation characteristics than previously known, and has provided the data to attempt another manuscript submission declaring the Bolivian Swallow-tailed Cotinga its proper Critically Endangered species.

In February Sandro Valdez completed a survey of the remaining Bolivian Swallow-tailed Cotingas, finding two new sites, but a total of fewer than 80 individuals. This is of great concern as the breeding Swallow-tailed Cotinga is a highly conspicuous bird, limited to clear open areas.

Thanks to support from Gwen Brewer, Sandro will continue field research this year, and begin an education program with the local communities in the area. The major threat to the species is the on-going destruction of habitat through local- often uncontrolled- burnings. A visit in June found some birds remaining around their breeding habitat (this does not occur with the Brazilian Swallow-tailed Cotinga), and the local community of Aten (where the species was first collected in 1902) were readily willing to help us in the conservation of the species. In October, Sandro will return to the area to survey some hopeful sites based on local information, and to visit communities spreading the word about this special bird endemic to their mid-montane plateau.

In 2006 the project will require community work, including over burning protection and workshops on habitat protection. A project as such would require a first phase budget of US$ 15,000. We could accept partial donations to start this work.

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Cochabamba Mountain-Finch Poospiza garleppi conservation and habitat assessment

Project Coordinator, Sebastian K. Herzog; skherzog@armonia-bo.org

Project area: high-Andean Polylepis forests in the Department of Cochabamba

The Cochabamba Mountain-Finch is an endangered restricted-range species endemic to a small area in the department of Cochabamba, Bolivia. Whereas the distributional limits of this high-Andean Polylepis specialist have been fairly well established, little is known about the species’ detailed distribution, degree of population fragmentation and habitat requirements. Such knowledge is vital, however, for a detailed threat analysis and subsequent conservation measures as Polylepis forests are being destroyed by human activities at an alarming rate. Initial surveys carried out by José Balderrama in 2003/04 at seven known Cochabamba Mountain-Finch localities totalling 64 ha of Polylepis forest recorded the species in small numbers at only five of those sites. Thanks to Weeden Foundation support, based on satellite images, aerial photography and the on-site knowledge of José Balderrama, Marcelo Alarcón has just completed a digital GIS map of all Polylepis fragments within the distributional range of the Cochabamba Mountain-Finch. Marcelo and José also just finished ground-truthing some of the habitat mapping results, and the final map will be available at the end of this month. We are seeking US$ 25,000 to continue this important research, establish a Polylepis education program, to train parkguards and to develop a Polylepis reforestation project within Tunari National Park.

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VII. Conference on Ornithology and Bird Conservation in Bolivia

Project Coordinators, Sebastian K. Herzog; skherzog@armonia-bo.org, Rodrigo Soria; wilbersa@supernet.com.bo

In collaboration with Cochabamba's Museo de Historia Natural Alcide d'Orbigny, Armonía organized the "VII. Conference on Ornithology and Bird Conservation in Bolivia" from 5 to 7 May 2005 in the Hotel Aranjuez in the city of Cochabamba. We achieved a record high of 101 participants and 26 oral presentations on a broad variety of topics in ornithology and bird conservation. Two thirds of all participants were Bolivian students, indicating that our annual bird conference is turning into an important intellectual and academic resource and a forum for exchanging ideas for Bolivia’s future conservation biologists. The participants demonstrated a good national mix with 36% from Cochabamba, 32% from Santa Cruz and 26% from La Paz. The meeting was also used to conduct workshops by the National Biodiversity service, and IUCN. For next year’s conference we will need approximately US$ 3,000, which would allow us to invite three plenary speakers.

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Conservation assessment of the Bolivian Spinetail Cranioleuca henricae

Project Supervisor, A. Bennett Hennessey; abhennessey@armonia-bo.com

Project area: Andean dry valleys in Cochabamba and La Paz

The American Bird Conservancy's William Belton Small Grants Program has approved a proposal to continue the research work and to begin the first conservation actions for the species based on the results of this present research. The next stage is to complete a field survey in a few less accessible sites, and based on that information design a habitat protection plan for the forests of the Cotacajes area. The species will require the protection of a large area of habitat, with educational and sustainable farming work throughout the rest of its range. The area is also rich in plant endemism, and has interesting archaeological sites. The report by Durwyn and Sophia recommends that the best strategy would be to conduct a workshop bringing together the local communities, non-profits, botanists, archaeologists, and ornithologists to discuss the best possible conservation plan for the area. Given the recent political problems in Bolivia, not allowing local movements, we have not been able to begin working on this project. But we have identified the person who can carry out the next conservation efforts and hope to begin in early August.

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Darwin Initiative Bolivian Key Biodiversity Areas Project

Program Coordinators, Ross MacLeod; r.macleod@bio.gla.ac.uk and Aidan Maccormick, a.maccormick@bio.gla.ac.uk

Project area: Andean dry valleys in Cochabamba and La Paz

Ross and Aidan are running a two-year project organizing and conducting biological surveys across all of Bolivia’s ecoregions. The project, funded by the UK Government’s Darwin Initiative Scheme for Biodiversity, is based out of Glasgow University in the UK and is working with the Armonía Important Bird Area Program. The objective is to identify the most important sites for biodiversity and its conservation within Bolivia. As part of this they are collecting the ornithological data needed to confirm the status of the 21 potential IBAs identified by the Armonía IBA program. Ornithological inventories have so far been carried out at 55 sites all across the country and by completion of the project at the end of July  2005 the objective is to have inventoried 60 sites. The project is concentrating on collecting new data from many of Bolivia’s most remote and least known habitats and has to date collected more than 3000 new site registrations for Bolivia’s bird species including many of the threatened and restricted range species that are most important for conservation. The work will provide measures of species richness, endemism, and species abundance in each area it visited and combined with Armonia’s other projects the results will allow an up to date assessment of the status of each of Bolivia’s 29 threatened bird species and lead to identification of the best areas for the conservation of each species. The Armonía IBA program will then be able to designate the most important areas as IBAs so that they become national conservation priorities and the focus for further conservation projects. The KBA project has also worked with Armonía to develop the Threatened Birds of Bolivia project which in June 2004 won the prestigious BP Conservation Programme Award which is now providing funding for the development of many of Armonia’s key bird conservation projects.

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David Snow Library

Armonía Executive committee

Project area: Armonía Centre for Conservation, Santa Cruz de la Sierra

Through an anonymous donation we were able to purchase two more book shelves, a wall unit magazine rack and a map holding unit for the library. SEO, BirdLife in Spain, has helped us with cataloguing software which we are using to update the library. And we have just been told David Snow has donated more journals to the library, which are waiting for a piggyback from England (let us know if someone has room in their luggage!). With the revision of our Armonia Bolivian Bird Database, we are also revising and adding grey literature to our files. The library also offers several international ornithological journals, a large collection of grey literature and reprints of papers regarding Bolivian birds, a bird sound identification computer including the CD-ROM Birds of Bolivia by Sjoerd Mayer, bird tapes, sound editing and sonogram software. But we are lacking important references for students and conservation program directors, especially South American journals. We would like to contract a biologist to better organize the library and to purchase essential books, journal subscriptions and general information that would make the library more helpful. A project to improve the ornithological and conservation service of the David Snow Library would require US$ 3,000.

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Distribution and conservation status of a new species of Phyllomyias tyrannulet

Project Coordinator, Sebastian K. Herzog; skherzog@compuserve.com; Field Researchers, Paola Gismondi, Isabel Gomez

Project area: lower Yungas in the Department of La Paz

The formal description of this recently discovered species is nearing completion and has been submitted to the world's leading peer-reviewed ornithological journal, The Auk, in January 2005. Since submitting the manuscript, we have found the “Yungas Tyrannulet Phyllomyias weedeni” at a few additional sites. Alejandra Troncoso and Renzo Vargas, with support from the Weeden Foundation, found the species fairly common on the lower slopes of Serranía Pilón in the Department of Beni, and they located a few individuals at two sites near the type locality in the Yungas of La Paz. Most recently, Sebastian found the species during an expedition to Madidi National Park funded by The Nature Conservancy to search for wintering Cerulean Warblers. During the same expedition, he also documented an apparently healthy “Yungas Tyrannulet” population in shade coffee plantations in extreme southeast Peru just across the border from Bolivia. Although we are sad to “lose” a Bolivian endemic, the good news is that we no longer need to consider the “Yungas Tyrannulet” a threatened species.

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Important Bird Area Program

Program Coordinator, A. Bennett Hennessey; abhennessey@armonia-bo.org

P Project area: Bolivia, Armonía Centre for Conservation, Santa Cruz de la Sierra

Through the support of Conservation International, BirdLife has published the IBAs for the Tropical Andes. This is a concise volume documenting the IBAs for Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuala. The book will be available through Armonia in august. We plan to present the book in the major cities of Bolivia following its arrival.

The IBA program is presently looking at motivating the conservation of the priority IBAs, part of which includes insuring the long-term protection of the IBAs within protected areas in Bolivia. One important effort that Armonia would like to begin, would be training park guards in Bolivia on monitoring techniques for indicator species. A proposal to begin work with two priority parks would require US$ 50,000 in support.

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Red-fronted Macaw Ara rubrogenys Conservation Project

Program Supervisor, A. Bennett Hennessey; abhennessey@armonia-bo.com, Program assistant, Abraham Rojas; mrojas_bo@hotmail.com

Project area: Andean dry valleys of the Río Caine/Grande drainage in dptos. Cochabamba, Potosí and Chuquisaca.

In an effort to have a long-term conservation impact for the Red-fronted Macaw, we have begun working with a few specific communities within the breeding range of the Macaw on an ecotourism project which will include the creation of a simple cabin in the area. This effort, plus more education components has been supported for 2005 by the Edinburgh Zoo, Naomi Lupka Trust, and CEPA-Conservation des Espèces et des Populations Animales.

On the research side, we rafted down the last mystery areas of the Red-fronted Macaw population, along the rivers Mizque and Caine, in order to complete our census of the population. The results from this work will be written up this year and published in a conservation journal.

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Southern Horned-Curassow Pauxi unicornis keoepckea conservation project

Project Coordinator, Melvin Gaztañaga; pauxiunicornis@yahoo.es

Project area: Cerros del Sira and Tambopata, Peru

In 2004, Melvin published her “Southern Horned-Curassow local knowledge survey” finding in the spring volume of Cotinga 2005, supported by Club300 Sweden and the Chicago Zoological Society Chicago Board of Trade Endangered Species Fund.

From a Charles Blake Fund, The Nuttall Ornithological Club donation, Melvin began an education project in the principal local communities near the communal reserve El Sira. She presented educational T-shirts, as well as conducting workshops with community members to discuss the problem and what potential solutions they could suggest. During her brief visit, Melvin investigated a hunting site where she saw one and heard three other Southern Horned Curassows in the Sira mountains of central Peru; the first time the distinctive endemic Peruvian race of this Endangered species has been seen since 1969 (Request from Melvin the Charles Blake Fund report for more information).

The project has received further support from Sweden Club300 to permitting Melvin to return to the area in October to continue her education project with the local communities in the area. Given the most recent sighting, Melvin would also like to take advantage of the next education visit to arrive with researchers who could further study the species. Such important work would require US$ 10,000 support. The project would also like to begin working with the local communities to establish local reserve guards- for this present “paper park”. Such a project would require US$ 30,000 support.

Southern Horned-Curassow Pauxi unicornis unicornis Conservation program

Program Coordinador, Rodrigo Soria; wilbersa@armonia-bo.org

Program area: Foothills forests of central Bolivia, Amboró and Carrasco Parks, Bolivia

P

The Bolivian Southern Horned Curassow is presently considered vulnerable to extinction due to overhunting and habitat destruction. We believe the threat level may be more severe. The program has received support for 2005 from BP Conservation, a Rufford small grant, and TNC. The first part of the program is to determine the distribution of this Curassow in Bolivia and identify the priority sites for its protection with educational activities within the communities near these priority sites. Part of this program will include park guard training, and working with local communities as Site Support groups, and ecotourism guides.

The program could really use a vehicle to visit the communities and sites near Santa Cruz. A used small 4x4 ideal for the program would cost US$ 9,000. Community programs require commitment, whereby the worst thing one can do is disappear after having said such large words. We will require US$ 10,000 for a continuation of the education program. We would also like to conduct a park guard training course including offering binoculars to the best and most enthusiastic park guards. A project of this nature will require US$ 6,000.

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Titicaca Flightless Grebe Rollandia microptera conservation project

Program Supervisor, A. Bennett Hennessey; abhennessey@armonia-bo.com, Project Researcher, Claudia Flores; claudia_floresprado@yahoo.es

P Project area: Lake Titicaca (Bolivia/Peru)

In 2003 Ari Martinez finished his census of the population on Lake Titicaca, finding more birds than had been hypothesized, but yet noting a continual threat. His results have been reviewed by the journal Bird Conservation International and are presently under correction for publication. Given the recommendations from Ari’s work, Claudia has begun studying the local fishermen’s impact on the Flightless Grebe (birds being caught dead in nets), and the fish ecology in the area (possibly affecting the food resource for the Flightless Grebe).

The Titicaca Flightless Grebe is in a delicate situation, where the main threat to the species is not properly understood, and could be far more severe than theorized. The continuation of the project would require a donation of US$ 10,000 USD.

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Wattled Curassow Crax globulosa Conservation Program

Program Coordinator, Hugo Aranibar; hugoo@biociencias.org

Project area: Lower Rio Beni, Department of Beni

The Wattled Curassow is considered vulnerable to extinction with population declines throughout its spotty distribution in varzea habitat (flooded forest) in the western Amazon basin. We only know of 2 sites in Colombia, 3 in Brazil and 1 in Bolivia for this species, assuming some still exist in Peru. It was rediscovered in Bolivia near the town of San Marcos in 2001, the last official record since 1937 (see World Birdwatch Vol 24, #2 June 2002). In August of 2004 the project received support by the Dutch Government to develop a Site Support Group (SSG) to help protect the area sustainably. With further support through the Weeden Foundation, we will be finalizing the legal necessities to instate an indigenous community reserve, which will lead to the creation of a municipal park which will support the creation of a community driven sustainable ecotourism project for the area. The project has also received a Rufford grant to support more field research regarding the distribution of the Wattled Curassow during the rainy season when much of the area is flooded.

Through this support, the Wattled Curassow in Bolivia would appear to be ready for long-term sustainable conservation, but other populations of the species remain in jeopardy without further research. A local information study is urgently required to attempt to find out whether the Wattled Curassow remains in Peru, and where. A project of this nature would require US$ 7,000.