FEATURE
40% of what remains of the Atlantic Forest.
Given its importance, it’s no surprise Aves
Argentinas are ramping up their work in this
area, striving to conserve the southernmost
portion of the forest by creating new protected
areas and strengthening those that already exist.
Aves Argentinas aims to develop ecotourism
in three areas with the highest biodiversity:
Iguazu, Yaboti, and the surrounding pastures. An
birdwatching route in already in place in Iguazu,
and Aves have also begun work to support rural
park rangers and promote restoration initiatives
in key areas.
Tufted Capuchin Cebus
apella
Photo Emilio White
0
Cultivating shade-grown
yerba mate in San Rafael
Reserve, Paraguay
Photo Cindy Galeano
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BRAZIL: SAFE HAVENS FOR IMPERILLED
ENDEMICS PARAGUAY: PRODUCING SHADE-
GROWN YERBA MATE
SAVE Brasil already protects two of the most
important areas for bird conservation in the
north east of the country: Serra do Urubu
and Murici. It has been 15 years since the
organization acquired a 360-acre reserve
in Serra do Urubo in order to put in place
conservation projects that combine surveillance,
community participation, restoration, bird
monitoring and ecotourism. In 2001 SAVE Brasil
collaborated with the Brazilian government to
create a 6000-hectare protected area in Murici.
It may be too late to save the Alagoas Foliage-
gleaner Philydor novaesi and Cryptic Treehunter
Cichlocolaptes mazarbarnetti, two endemics
which disappeared around the same time,
and are expected to have their extinctions
confirmed in 2019’s Red List update. But these
havens will hopefully ensure other Critically
Endangered endemics, such as Alagoas Antwren
Myrmotherula snowi, avoid the same fate. The San Rafael Reserve, tucked away in the
southeast of Paraguay,is a critical area for
biodiversity housing a large number of endemic
birds. This land was purchased thanks to a grant
from the Aage V. Jensen Charity Foundation
in 2012, enabling Guyra Paraguay to begin
a project which supports livelihoods of the
indigenous Mbya Guarani community, as well
as local ranchers. The project involves the
promotion of cultivated organic Yerba mate, an
invigorating hot beverage popular throughout
much of Latin America. Instead of acres of
precious forest being flattened to make room
for sickly, intensive crops of Yerba Mate tree Ilex
paraguariensis, the crops are grown under the
shade of forest canopies, as nature intended,
improving both the flavour and quality of life
for the reserve’s vulnerable local communities,
who are now managing around 100 hectares of
organic yerba mate.
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BIRDLIFE • OCT-DEC 2019