The scarlet macaw population
in the Osa Conservation Area is believed to be the largest in the country
but has never been studied for a long period of time. When funding became
available, Dr Chris Vaughan, with his extensive experience in Carara
was asked to start a research project with the Osa scarlet macaws. Fiona
Dear, who's been with LAPPA since early 2004, carried out the preliminary
study.
A twenty two question interview was carried out with 105 local people.
A strategic plan was written based on a workshop with local residents.
It covers research, monitoring, outreach, marketing and conservation
projects for the species.
Interviews
One of the first things noticed when talking
to local people is their appreciation for their neighbouring wildlife.
This is accompanied by a healthy relationship with the tourists that
visit the region. The reasons are simple. Tourism in Osa generates sufficient
work that most people are benefiting from some type of tourist related
employment. In addition the peninsula is relatively difficult to get
to, so only those tourists dedicated to viewing wildlife arrive.
Poaching
This attitude is important for the survival of
the local wildlife. Most people believe that in recent years the scarlet
macaw numbers have increased while chick poaching has decreased. It
seems that in the past 10 years environmental outreach programs and
increased protection together with the availability of work, have fostered
a local respect for the abundant wildlife in this region. However we
did hear of one person who is responsible for poaching 25 chicks each
year.
Natural
History
Interestingly the Osa and Carara populations share
the predominant use of non-native trees as part of their diet, including
beach almond, teak and melina. Nesting habits are also similar, and
we even heard of one tree containing five nests on a cattle farm. The
scarlet macaw population is found throughout the entire Osa Peninsula
and on a large part of the mainland.
Unfortunately the Osa macaws do not share the Carara population’s
habit of roosting communally in one area. Therefore apart from one possible
fly route at the limit of the scarlet macaw’s range, we are no
closer to finding a site from which to count the population.
Macaw
Behaviour
One of the most striking aspects of the Osa scarlet
macaw behaviour is how ‘tame’ the birds are. Macaw are regularly
seen flying only 1m above the ground, and feeding macaws could be approached
to within 2m at chest height. This trust the wildlife have in humans
is also a measure of the healthy attitude the locals have towards nature.
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