Dear Reader I know I have left you teetering on a cliff edge with the incredible story of Monty but I really have to make this quick post and tell you about Echo. Then I promise in the very near future I will sit down with a cup of tea and write part two of Monty’s story. So if you haven’t already heard…
Echo is our new conservation foundation on Bonaire. It builds on the parrot research and conservation work developed Dr Rowan Martin and Ms Rhian Evans and myself since my first visit 7 years ago.
As you know the core of our work has involved studying the parrots breeding biology, motivated primarily to complete Rowan’s and my PhDs but, more personally driven by the desire to work out what the problems are so that we can now go on to address them. This is exactly what we hope to do with Echo. So as well as continuing to do applied research we have developed management strategies based on our findings. You’ll hear more about these right here as they happen over the next year. In addition to studying parrots and their ecosystem Echo's goals include developing creative conservation techniques and stimulating sustainable use of nature (sustainable tourism).
The foundation's name "Echo" was inspired by my long involvement with the world's most successful parrot conservation project in Mauritius. As was reported in the recent PsittaScene magazine hands on conservation management restored the echo parakeet population from only 8 individuals in the 1990s to over 500 today. I first visited Mauritius aged 16 and returned a couple of times following that, learning a lot about conservation from Professor Carl Jones and the other conservationists. An echo is also something that comes back and Echo will be working to bring back the balance of nature on Bonaire.
I really believe that Bonaire provides great opportunities to develop world-class conservation work that benefits the parrots here, but also other endangered parrots. In 2010 Jose Antonio Diaz who is also working Blue-throated macaws in Bolivia, joined our team. He came to Bonaire and through the exchange we learnt about what is happening in Bolivia and Jose learnt from our project and took those skills back to Bolivia!
It is planned that Echo will continue providing training like Jose experienced but also to work with research students so we can learn more about parrots. In 2010 we hosted two Masters students from England. One of these students, Danielle Parks, looked at fruit eating parrots and whether Cara Cara shaped kites could keep the loras away. The results of Danni's great study will be presented soon helping us to address the conflict issue which is an important conservation concern. Finding solutions so people and the parrots can get along is essential!
I’m going to keep this short and anyway you can find out more about Echo on our webpage: www.echobonaire.org
We also have a facebook page where we will be posting brief but inevitably more regular updates about the project: www.facebook.com/echobonaire.org
Getting the project up and running is an extremely challenging time, you can help us achieve our ambitious parrot conservation goals by supporting our work and I can assure you that any support you give will make a tremendous difference! To ensure donations are tax deductible World Parrot Trust is collecting donations on our behalf -- click here.
What’s more if you donate before the end of February the World Parrot Trust will match your donation giving you the chance to double your impact for parrot conservation.
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