A public-private partnership in Mexico just announced that the current population of thick-billed parrots is approximately 2,500 individuals—at least 10% higher than that recorded 12 years ago.
The number was determined in a recent population survey in a protected area in the state of Chihuahua, where once upon a time this charismatic species roamed north into the United States.
The thick-billed parrot is an emblematic species of the temperate forests of the Sierra Madre Occidental and once occurred in both Arizona and New Mexico.
Since 1995, this species, listed in danger of extinction by the Mexican government, has been the subject of numerous studies and actions for protection and management, while the mountain forests on which it depends have been the focus of extensive reforestation.
These efforts, led by the National Commission of Protected Natural Areas (CONANP) and the civil organization Organización Vida Silvestre (OVIS), along with the participation of local communities and other organizations in the US and Mexico, are yielding encouraging results as demonstrated by the increase in population, a statement from OVIS details.
“This emerging success story reflects the importance of collaboration between society and government and a vision of healthy ecosystems and sustainable communities, which is in line with the policies and practices that CONANP will strengthen in the following years,” said the head of CONANP, Pedro Álvarez-Icaza.
The census data suggests that the population of thick-billed parrots will continue to increase as sustainable forestry management practices are consolidated by the communities of the region.
Sergio Jiménez, executive director of OVIS, thanked the support of the various institutions involved.
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“This multi-institutional effort led by Ernesto Enkerlin Hoeflich, scientific director of OVIS, is bearing fruit after three decades, which gives us hope for other species at risk and points to the need for cooperation, persistence, and long-term planning to produce results and effective conservation.”
A major effort to restore populations of this parrot were undertaken in the 1980s among the sky islands of Arizona. These dramatic, short, and squat mountain chains amid the scorching lowlands were perceived as perfect havens for the reintroduction, but the problem was that predatory species like the American goshawk had already returned in large numbers to these hills, and their take of the parrots proved to be unsustainable.
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In October 2020, it was announced that a higher elevation would be sought amid the sky islands to form the basis for a new reintroduction attempt, including the Chiricahua mountains.
If populations recover substantially enough in Mexico, it may happen that the bird recolonizes its former haunts in the Southwestern US without the need for intervention from scientists.
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