Conservation of the Grey-breasted Parakeet

Blueprint

ASSESS

In 2007, Loro Parque Fundación (Spain) and the Brazilian NGO Aquasis carried out a project to determine the presence of the Grey-breasted Parakeet in its historic range. These birds were once common in the humid forests in the upper portions of some mountain ranges in North-East Brazil, surrounded by dry Caatinga in the lower areas. The team discovered that the Baturité Mountains were one of the last strongholds for the species. In an effort to further understand the true geographic distribution of the species, during 2012 and 2013 the team conducted a thorough survey of more than 4,000 km2 and held over 100 interviews with local peoples. The results confirmed that the remaining population (less than 100 individuals) was restricted to only two adjacent areas in the Baturité Mountains, with 80% of the birds found in just one of these sites.

PLAN

Results from previous surveys and ecological studies were used to update the National Action Plan for the Grey-breasted Parakeet and make recommendations for conservation of this species. Within the plan, priorities of in situ conservation actions were set, as well as an introduction to the possibility of reintroduction to historical areas. As a part of the planning process, Aquasis met with local landowners and other stakeholders to evaluate the best way to address habitat loss for the parakeet and quickly boost their numbers.

Most recently (2018), the IUCN Conservation Planning Specialist Group facilitated a workshop to evaluate the potential contribution of ex situ activities toward the conservation of several birds in Brazil, including the Grey-breasted Parakeet, with the aim to complement existing National Action Plans and support an integrated conservation approach.

ACT

Crucial in helping the parakeets recover was the provision of artificial nest boxes where they could breed while being protected from poachers. Local landowners became involved in the project and provided access to the field team to place, maintain, and control nest boxes on their properties. In most cases, the recovery team formed partnerships with local residents who agreed to help them monitor nests and provide a round-the-clock watch against poachers.

Initially, the team installed 60 nest boxes in Serra de Baturité and developed the important task of monitoring and surveillance in which two dozen people were involved. By 2011, the first nestlings were banded and the species was seen in adjacent areas. Nest box monitoring and chick tagging has been fundamental in gathering data on reproduction, movement, and dispersal of the parakeets.

Another important action was the creation of privately-owned protected areas and the Grey-Breasted Parakeet Wildlife Refuge (Refúgio de Vida Silvestre Periquito Cara-suja) to provide enhanced protection to this species and other endangered birds in the region. The Grey-breasted Parakeet project team encourages and provides technical support for landowners in the Baturité Mountains that are interested in transforming their forest habitats into private reserves. A comprehensive environmental education program has been undertaken within local communities about the importance of the Grey-breasted Parakeet as a keystone species for the health of humid forests. Promoting this parakeet as a regional flagship species by a strong protection network of landowners has been key to the success of this program.

Results

More than 1,000 Grey-breasted Parakeet chicks have fledged from nest boxes in the Baturité Mountains during the last 10 years of the program since 2010. The number of successful fledglings has steadily increased each year, necessitating the team to place 70 more nest boxes to keep up with the growing demand. In 2019, the project’s field team carried out a population census in all known occupied areas plus a new locality in the north of the State of Bahia. The final count showed that the number of parakeets has risen from approximately 100 to 1,000, with an estimated growth rate of about 130 fledglings each year on average. As a result of this conservation project, the species’ status was changed from Critically Endangered to Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in 2017.

Future plans include an ex situ breeding program that will work toward reintroduction of the Grey-breasted Parakeet back to some of the historical locations from which it has disappeared.