TITLE:
Suitability of the South Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica for Reintroduction of the Great Green Macaw Ara ambiguus
AUTHORS:
Sara Fraixedas, Álvaro Fernández-Llamazares, Anna Rico, Albert Bach, Marta Borrós, Carles Barriocanal, Martí Boada
KEYWORDS:
Psittacine Conservation, Reintroduction, Threatened Species, Suitability Analysis
JOURNAL NAME:
Natural Resources,
Vol.5 No.11,
August
29,
2014
ABSTRACT: The Great Green Macaw Ara ambiguus is an endangered species whose most important food resource and nesting site in
Costa Rica is the mountain almond tree Dipteryx
panamensis, threatened mainly by deforestation. In this study, we analyse
the suitability of reintroducing A.
ambiguus in the South Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica by examining whether
the ecological and socio-cultural conditions required for the reintroduction
are met in the area. The methods developed in this work include biological
sampling, cartographical analysis and semi-structured interviews, among others.
We set La Ceiba Nature Reserve as study unit and starting point of the analysis
due both to its conservation status, favouring the potential release of
individuals, and its ecosystem representativeness. Our results suggest that the
habitat is suitable for reintroduction, with frequent presence of D. panamensis in the region, as well as
other feeding options and potential nesting sites in the study area. The
cartographic study reveals that the species could rely on a forested surface of
up to 7000 hectares, which would be sufficient for sustaining a viable
population. As for the socio-cultural analysis, illegal logging and low
protective frameworks were identified as the main potential threats for the
species. Nevertheless, we perceived positive conservation attitudes among local
people and a pro-active commitment of political stakeholders. We conclude that
a viable South Caribbean reintroduction of A.
ambiguus is possible in conjunction with a threat mitigation programme.