The Ara Project

Objectives, Studies & Plans

Conservation of the Great Green Macaw/Buffons Macaw
(Ara ambiguus)

The Great Green Macaw are the most majestic, gentle and graceful macaws that the world possesses and are surely exactly as God intended. Take a closer look at these beautiful birds and consider, if at all possible, could man have made anything better? We are indeed in awe of such excellence.

Amigos de las Aves are very privileged to have one of the largest, if not the largest, collection of Great Greens in the world, and as such, are well aware of the responsibility such a collection brings. We believe this to be of global significance as the status of the birds in the wild is critical!

We have good breeding success and have produced over 30 birds over the past years.

Our aim is to release a viable population of these birds into the wild, to provide them with the ideal conditions which will allow them to survive and breed within their own environment.

We are currently perfecting our release program with the help of our Scarlet macaws and will aim to use many of the same procedures with the Great Greens. The critical state of these indigenous birds in Costa Rica will need to be closely evaluated and many issues will need to be addressed. We will work closely with local sources in Costa Rica, (Great Green Society, Minae) to gather as much advice and information as is available. The main consideration is not to encroach upon the wild population, either by utilising their existing habitat or their food source, or by polluting their genetics, which we believe is potentially possible. The Great Green macaws have greatly differing behaviour patterns from the Scarlet macaws, and whilst the Scarlets are much more "feisty" the Great Greens are more "gentle giants" and this behaviour trait must also be taken in great consideration.

Objectives

Achieve a soft release of Great Green Macaw
Continue research and monitoring of macaws at release sites
Publish scientific papers
Purchase land for a release site and breeding centre
Enhance facilites: education, nursery, flights
Aim for a release of Yellow Naped and Red Lored Amazons

Study Plan

“The ARA Project Study Plan” has been devised and formed over time by our Biologists Allan Taylor, Dale Forbes, Fiona Dear and Lindell Andrews. Chris Castles, Marti Everett, and of course, Margot and Richard Frisius. The basis of which forms our Study Plan.

The Ara Project aims to put into practise the "The Ara Project study plan" that allows for the same information to be gathered from each of our release sites. Eventually allowing us to collect and collate data in exactly the same format, and consequently enable us to produce a series of comparison studies.

The four primary areas of interest for study are:

      Behavioural - pre-release and post-release.
      Nesting
      Food source
      Integration

Some of the questions asked:

How do activity budgets of new macaws change with time following release?
How are the investigative instincts, behaviour and interactions with other macaws influenced by rearing method?
How much interest do wild macaws have in newly released birds?
How long does it take for wild or previously released macaws to investigate new ones in the pre-release aviary?
Are the ranges of wild/previously released macaws affected by the release of new birds?
How long does it take for behavioural patterns of released macaws to stabilise?

Breeding questions will also be raised - depending upon the success of the program - and close monitoring will continue in this area.

Integration of newly fledged youngsters into the flock.
Behaviour of young with parents during the first 3 months.
How young become adapted to natural feed and environment.
Diffences between juvenile behaviours and younger release birds.
Successful nestsites and selections over several breeding seasons.
Parenting skills by handraised/captive parent raised birds.

We are The Ara Project

The Zoocredero is the official and legal license to carry out our work in Costa Rica and it requests that we present documented reports to MINAE on a regular basis, from all areas of our project - the breeding centre, refuge and the release sites. The license is exclusive to Amigos de las Aves, and specific to our mode of work.

Objectives

The Breeding Centre

The main objectives of the project are:

Secure funding
Set the Association in Trust
Purchase the Amigos de las Aves land site.
Re-develop and expand the current breeding centre facilities
Breed and investigate the other species of native Costa Rican parrots

The Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao)

The main objectives of the project are:

To increase the release sites for the Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao).
with the aim of creating conservation biological corridors between the release sites and thus linking the populations.
To create a self sustaining genetically diverse and viable population.
To aid advancement of the general populations of Scarlet Macaws (Ara macao) throughout Central America.

The Great Green Macaw (Ara ambiguus)

The main objectives of the project are:

To acquire a suitable habitat for implementing a possible Great Green Macaw (Ara ambiguus) soft release program.
To investigate thoroughly the viability of this program taking into consideration the status of the current wild population.
Intensively manage the project on a permanent basis.
To successfully establish a free flying monitored population of Great Green Macaw (Ara ambiguus) with the outcome of the release birds reproducing and fledging offspring, thus creating an independent wild born generations.

Immediate Plans and Requirements

Secure more support and sponsorship for the project from local business.
Promote international sponsorship further from professional zoo's and structures..
Promote our knowledge and offer a worldwide advisory service for release programs - either onsite or by correspondance.
To promote and provide a Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao) "corridor" throughout the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, where viable.
Enhance our education program at release sites and at the breeding centre.
To promote our scientific findings in international journals to enhance our international status.
To represent ourselves at several major conservation, macaw and zookeeping conferences throughout the world on a regular basis.

Breeding Centre

To purchase the Finca - 8 Acres
Enhance the education centre (in progress)
Employ a set of qualified staff, zookeepers, and an education officer.
Secure the property with guards.
Enhance the nursery. (in progress)
Promote education talks that are payable by the schools.
Add flights.
Establish a Visitor centre.
Build quarantine aviaries. ·
Build breeding aviaries for Amazons - Yellow Naped and Red Lored
Add professional staff and ensure the continued support of volunteers.

Conservation Programs

Tiskita

To employ a biologist to carry out scientific studies of behaviours and nesting and to monitor feed sources.
To supply volunteers/biology students to observe and monitor.
To employ an education officer to work in the area.

Curu

To determine whether there are too many disruptive factors in Curu, and neighbouring vicinities and subsequently whether to release further birds.
To consequently establish a secure release site for the birds already on site.
To obtain permits for future releases.
To establish a viable flock of approx. 30 birds.
To employ a biologist to carry out scientific studies of behaviours and nesting and to monitor feed sources.
To supply volunteers/biology students to observe and monitor.
To employ an education officer to work in the area

New Sites

To search for and establish two/three working release sites for Scarlet Macaws. (in process)
To ascertain the viability of a site - taking all factors into consideration, including food sources, bird safety, nesting opportunities and long term population viability.
To take advice from our biologist and local biologists from the specific area.
To search for a suitable release site for the Great Greens.
To ascertain the viability of a site - taking all factors into consideration, including food sources, bird safety, nesting opportunities and long term population viability.
To ascertain the viability of a 'soft release'.
To obtain all possible advice from local knowledge
To establish a new Finca for our breeding centre where our future will be secured for our birds.

Yellow Naped Amazons

To continue with the yellow-naped amazon breeding program (ongoing)
To establish enough pairs to initiate a release project.

Red Lored Amazons

To continue with the red lored amazon breeding program.(ongoing)
To establish enough pairs to initiate a release project.

General

Financial stability

To secure yearly funding from donations, visitor donations and sponsorship.
To increase additional professional grants.
To make charges for our professional services when establishing a new release site, with ongoing charges for approx. five years.

We now have more than 200 breeding birds at our breeding and research centre. It has taken many years to build up breeding stock with enough genetic diversity to bring our program into fruition. It is only now that we are finally beginning to see the benefits of all the hard work.

The Ara Project goes from strength to strength - with your help!!!!