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| Beautiful magnificent frigate bird soaring over the keys of Belize. Birds, like her, help our hearts soar. |
This past
week I attended the Mesoamerican Society of Biology and Conservation in Belize
City, Belize. One full day was given to
parrot conservation. We heard many
exciting updates!
- There are Central American scarlet macaws on Coiba Island, Panama, and they may not be experiencing much poaching pressure - thanks to Dr. Mark McReynolds et al for this work!
- There was no poaching of Belize scarlet macaws in 2015 and 2016 - thanks to Dr. Isabelle Paquet-Durand, Boris Arevalo, et al for this work!
- There are about 115 yellow-headed parrots in Honduras in the Cuyamel area, and only 2 of 12 nests were poached - thanks to Roger Flores et al for this work!
- There are many active nests of yellow-headed parrots in Belize that produced 58 chicks - thanks to Charles Britt et al for this work!
- Wild yellow-naped amazons used nest boxes in Nicaragua - thanks to Martin Lezama et al for this work!
There were
other presenters and many informal discussions that motivated us to plan how we can together improve the well being of
parrots in Central America. Perhaps the
best thing about this meeting was the excitement and support we offer one
another, which is an important part of conservation work, especially in Latin
America where the challenges and risks can be great. For instance, in a recent Global Witness report, two-thirds of the 185 environmental activists murdered in the world
were from Latin America. Most often
these activists work with little to no governmental support, and it is not
unusual that the government even
counters or endangers environmentalists.
Writes Billy Kyte, author of this report, " Up to now the government sees these people (environmentalists)
as opposing development. What really needs to happen is that these people need
to be treated as heroes."
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| Heroes of Central America (presenters and attendees of the parrot symposium in Belize) |
These parrot conservationists of Mesoamerica
are my heroes, working under threats and challenges, with very little
resources, and often using their own funds to cover their expenses. Thank you all for what you do, and for being
in solidarity and resistance with me as we build a more beautiful world, fighting the poaching and habitat loss that is rampant in the area. Together we won't le the sun go down on these birds!
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| Sunrise on Caye Caulker right before the symposium |
