City Parrots

Tenerife News

Loro Parque Fundación (LPF) has signed an agreement with the Government of Peru for the conservation of the Grey-cheeked Parakeet (Brotogeris pyrrhoptera), a species at risk of extinction which could result in endangering important ecosystems in Perú and its neighbouring country Ecuador.

This project will last two years, and will be financed with US$43,000 from LPF and US$10,000 from the National Institute of Natural Resources (INRENA) of Perú. It relates to the initiatives that LPF made within the framework of the International Migratory Bird Day, celebrated May 10/11.

This initiative has succeeded thanks to the good relationship that exists between LPF and the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), taking into account the importance of that the role these birds play as vital indicators for a healthy ecosystem which guarantees a higher biodiversity. At the same time, this project will contribute to the implementation of policies and coordinated actions between Peru and Ecuador for the conservation of the critical habitat of other species, given that INRENA and the Ministry of Environment of the respective countries will take part.

The Grey-cheeked Parakeet is an endemic and migratory species classified by the IUCN (BirdLife International) as an endangered species. Its area of reproduction occurs on the border, a zone at the moment intensely modified by humans, thus impacting negatively on its migrations. The project that LPF is financing almost in its entirety will determine the conservation status of this species, from which a matrix of threat factors will be created. Participating workshops with the inhabitants of the area will be undertaken, and a regional action plan for the management of this threatened parakeet will be developed.

The Blue-headed Macaw as well
In the same agreement of collaboration between LPF and INRENA of Perú, actions reaching US$10,000 for the conservation of the Blue-headed Macaw (Propyrrhura couloni) will be carried out. Even though it is not a migratory species, it is also in danger of extinction, and it is necessary to determine the level of illegal trade of this bird, as well as to define the methods to determine the population density in key sites and to promote local social awareness with respect to illegal traffic of birds. The conservation actions for this species of macaw are in accordance with the recommendations of the CITES Management Authority of Spain, and both projects have been endorsed by the Secretary-General of CITES at Geneva.