Q & A, Imperiled Green Macaws
the northern zone, and the Commission moratorium wasn't enough. There was a need to build public support and understanding of the threats to the macaws and its forest home.
Using the green macaw as its focus, RARE Center for Tropical Conservation ( USA ) and its local counterpart, Mario Rivera, introduced its marketing-style education campaign, " Promoting Protection through Pride", sponsored by World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the World Parrot Trust- UK ( WPT ) among other funding agencies.
The campaign played a key role in helping people understand the importance of saving the remaining almendros and other forest trees in order to insure the survival of the macaw, while reaching every citizen with the message of conservation.
Using school presentations, billboards, bumper stickers, and even Sunday sermons, no Costa Rican in the macaw's northern zone habitat failed to hear about the macaw.
As the year-long campaign ended, Rivera's work paid off. Surveys conducted at the beginning and end of the project showed a marked increase in local awareness of the importance of the almendro tree and of the small number of green macaws left in the wild.
Rivera and Environmental Association VIDA, a costa rican non- profit organization part of the Green Macaw Commission, are busy now raising funds to continue environmental education and forest restoration efforts to help in the conservation of the bird's habitat.
They will implement in 1999 an "Adopt a Tree" campaign to involve individuals and groups in the restoration of areas - that once were covered by forests - which have been left after being used for agriculture and cattle purposes.
They also plan to launch a web site for those interested in getting to know more about the green macaws and the many ways to help in the protection of this bird.
If you want to contact Mr. Rivera please e-mail him at :
greenmacaw@vida.org
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Mario Rivera C.
Director, Proyecto Educacion en Conservacion Lapa Verde
Director, Great Green Macaw Education in Conservation Project
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