Socio-environmental challenges for the reintroduction of the red-browed amazon (Amazona rhodocorytha, Aves, Psittacidae) in the state of Alagoas, Brazil

• Grant number: 23/08272-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): December 01, 2023
• Effective date (End): November 30, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Zoology
• Principal Investigator: Luís Fábio Silveira
• Grantee: Raquel Martins Fontes Monfrinato
• Host Institution: Museu de Zoologia (MZ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The red-browed amazon, Amazona rhodocorytha (Salvadori, 1890) (Psittaciformes, Psittacidae), is one of the endangered Atlantic Forest endemic parrots, classified as Vulnerable (VU) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the List National Association of Endangered Species of the Ministry of the Environment (MMA). Its distribution is restricted to just a few forest fragments in the states of Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo, Bahia, Sergipe and Alagoas, with few birds remaining in these last two states. The situation is even more critical in Alagoas, where only a few individuals (four at most) have been recorded, and their disappearance was motivated both by the accelerated loss of habitat that occurred there, and by capture for illegal trade, mainly motivated by the desire to have these birds as a pet. Encouraging a change in the population's thinking and attitudes is one of the main challenges currently being faced in the conservation of these birds and other parrots, which have historically been targets of wildlife trade. With the aim of restoring the population of A. rhodocorytha in the region, a reintroduction project has been carried out since 2022, moving towards its final stages, when these birds will be released in the Reserva Particular do Patrimônio Natural (RPPN) Mata do Cedro and Mata da Sálvia, from Usina Utinga, located in the city of Rio Largo (AL). Bearing in mind that the proximity of the reserve to human communities can result in negative interactions for parrots, and that reintroduction projects for endangered species are usually more successful when associated with awareness work with the local population, this project proposes to identify the main challenges for a successful reintroduction, as well as developing and applying Environmental Education (EE) actions with the inhabitants of the communities surrounding the Usina Utinga, focusing mainly on combating the illegal capture and trade of wild birds in the region.