December 1999 No. 55 Cyanopsitta - Loro Parque...Cyanopsitta No. 56 - March 2000 3 Loro Parque Fundación: 1994-1999 The first five years The founders of the Advisory Board of Loro

51994-1999

CyanopsittaCyanopsittaFUNDACIÓN

December 1999 No. 55December 1999 No. 55December 1999 No. 55December 1999 No. 55December 1999 No. 55

No. 56 - March 2000Cyanopsitta

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Loro Parque Fundación:1994-1999

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�The conservation of parrots in their natural environment and in captivity�. This is whatLoro Parque Fundación is striving for like few other organisations in the world. Usingparrots as ambassadors the foundation strives to protect the habitats in which they liveand secure the survival of a area of the endangered ecosystems of our planet. LoroParque Foundacion has financed and collaborated in 22 parrot field conservationprogrammes, and is constantly increasing both its annual spending budget and the numberof projects that it finances. Up to the present date, the foundation�s expenditures in parrotconservation total US$ 1.3 million. This parrot collection, which is the largest in the world,

is an invaluable safety-net and genetic resource for species and subspecies endangered in the wildstate, today comprises of around 2800 individuals of 312 taxa. Loro Parque Foundation participatesin 20 of the 21 European Studbooks and Endangered Species Programmes concerning parrots, ofwhich it coordinates five. Other major tasks undertaken by the foundation are the captive researchprogrammes aimed at improving the welfare and management of parrots in captivity and theeducation programmes that convey to the over one and a half million annual visitors to Loro Parquethe need to protect the world�s natural heritage.

It all began when Mr. Wolfgang Kiesslingformed an organisation aimed at protecting parrots inthe wild. Loro Parque had already started in 1987 tofinance it´s first parrot conservation project - aimed atsaving the two endemic amazons on the Caribbeanisland of Dominica - and the association laid the grounds

for future developments. The long-term financing ofthe Spix’s Macaw Recovery Programme in Brazil beganwith the creation of the Permanent Committee in 1990.

In 1992, coinciding with the expansion of LoroParque, Loro Parque Fundacion was created and


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The Advisory Board of LThe Advisory Board of LThe Advisory Board of LThe Advisory Board of LThe Advisory Board of Loro Poro Poro Poro Poro Parque Farque Farque Farque Farque Fundaciónundaciónundaciónundaciónundación

Joachim SteinbacherEditor of Gefiederte WeltBad Homburg, Germany

Ian R. SwinglandPresident and Founder

Durrell Institute ofConservation and Ecology

Kent, England

Roland WirthPresident and Founder

Zoological Socierty for the Protectionof Species and Populations

Munich, Germany

David WaughDirector

Royal Zoological Society of ScotlandEdinburgh, Scotland

Povl JorgensenAviculturist

Haslev, Denmark

Nigel J CollarResearch Fellow

BirdLife InternationalCambridge, England

Susan L. ClubbAvian Veterinarian

Florida, USA

Wolfgang GrummtAnimal Park Friedrichsfelde

Berlin, Germany

Tomás de Azcárate y BangMinistry of the Environment

of the Canary IslandsTenerife, Spain

Sponsors of LSponsors of LSponsors of LSponsors of LSponsors of Loro Poro Poro Poro Poro Parque Farque Farque Farque Farque Fundaciónundaciónundaciónundaciónundación

In 1995, Dr. David Waugh joined Loro ParqueFundación as its first Scientific Director. Together withMr. Wolfgang Kiessling, President of the Foundation,and Mrs.Inge Feier, its Director, the ground lines forthe future were laid down: guidelines and priorities wereestablished for the selection and funding of parrot fieldconservation programmes and the conduct of captiveresearch programmes. The foundation also moved intoits headquarters inside Loro Parque. The newsletter,first published in 1986, was given a new name“Cyanopsitta” and has evolved from being a simplenews sheet into a highly colourful informative magazine.

Furthermore, 1995 saw two major events inthe Spix’s macaw project: the release of the female inBrazil and the transfer of two birds from the São PauloZoo to Tenerife. The number of supported in-situ parrotconservation projects increased to six.

1996 was marked by several important events.Foremost, a generous donation by Her Majesty QueenSirikit of Thailand and her acceptance to becomeHonorary Member of Loro Parque Fundación.Secondly, the founding of the Advisiory Board of thefoundation, with Mr.John Stoodley and Dr.Susan Clubbas the first external members, and the increase of thenumber of parrot field conservation projects to nine.Furthermore, an agreement was signed with theUniversity of La Laguna in Tenerife, to facilitate theexchange of expertise and allow student internships atthe foundation.

In 1997, several acclaimed experts acceptedthe invitation to become additional members of theBoard of Advisors, including Dr.Tomás de Azcárate y

formally registered at regional level in the CanaryIslands under the name of Fundación Loro Parque.Within the frame of this organisation, several initiativesaimed at the protection of the environment have sincebeen supported, such as the awarding of prizes foroutstanding environmental documentaries andpublications.

Loro Parque Fundación: 1994-1999In 1994, Loro Parque Fundación was legally

registered as a non-profit, non-governmentalorganisation with the Ministry for Education andScience of the Government of Spain. With itsrecognition at the national level and thus the autorisationto engage in activities world-wide, Loro ParqueFundación became the leading force in the managementof the parrot conservation projects that had previouslybeen funded by Loro Parque. The Spix’s macaw - oneof the most emblematic parrot species - was chosen asthe emblem of the new foundation.

Loro Parque S.A. transferred the ownership ofthe largest collection of parrots in the world and thebreeding centres, to the newly created foundation. Whilethe management of the collection has since been paidby Loro Parque, the revenue stemming from the salesof surplus offspring benefits the activities of LoroParque Fundación.

Loro Parque gave permission for theinstallation of 2 collection boxes; the lucky bell and thebronze carp. Further income was gained by the annualcontributions by it´s members. Moreover, Loro Parquegranted the foundation free space for an Ecoshop, whichbrought in more income.


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Bang, Mr. Povl Jorgensen, Dr. JoachimSteinbacher, Mr. Ian Swingland andMr.Roland Wirth, and a meeting was held inMay of that year to discuss the futuredevelopment of the foundation. Also in thisyear, captive-bred Illiger’s Macaws were sentfrom Tenerife to Brazil for a pilot re-introduction experiment designed to helpfuture releases of captive-bred Spix’smacaws. Finally, the first phase of the newbreeding centre of the foundation at La Verawas inaugurated.

In 1998 the postion of educator wascreated in order to increase the colaborationbetween local schools on the islands. Anagreement was signed with the “EscuelaNavega”- the Department of Education ofthe Canary Island Government, in order to offer thecomplete animal collection of Loro Parque as aneducational resource to the local school community.

In July, Mr. Yves de Soye succeeded Dr.DavidWaugh in the position of Scientific Director, andcontinued to work along the priorities previouslyestablished. The website of Loro Parque Fundación wasinstalled, and new didactic signs for all the parrot cageswere produced. The second phase of the parrot breedingcentre in La Vera was inaugurated. The foundationconvened the 1st Parrot Management Workshop and forthe first time hosted the IV. International World ParrotConvention.

The same year saw the release of the captive-bred Illiger‘s macaws sent from Tenerife to Brazil, andthe following months showed how successful the

experiment had been.

1999 is the V anniversary of Loro ParqueFundación. It has brought many exciting happeningsand success stories, but also the departure of Mr. JohnStoodley - a loss that will take a while to overcome.

Mr. Nigel Collar, Dr.Wolfgang Grummt andDr. David Waugh accepted our invitation to becomenew members of the Advisory Board of the foundation.

The number of parrot field conservationprojects has risen to twelve and, for the first time, theanual spending exceeded US$ 200,000 (see graphicabove).

An agreement was signed with the Universityof Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, reinforcing the linkwith the academic community in the Canary Islands.

The Department of Education wassuccessfully taken over by Dr.JavierAlmunia. A special teachers’ pack“Animals of the world “was completedfor elementary schools that plan to visitLoro Parque, and an extensiveeducational exhibit was accomplished forthe newly opened penguin exhibit in LoroParque.

The Spix’s Macaw RecoveryCommittee met in Houston and severalimportant and promising decisions weretaken that give us high hopes that apopulation of Spix’s macaws will soonbe re-established in the wild.

Over the past years the foundation hascontributed significantly to parrotmangement and care.


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At the moment Loro Parque Fundación is co-ordinator of the EEPs for the Red-Browed AmazonAmazona rhodocorytha, and the Blue-throated MacawAra glaucogularis. In addition it is the holder of theEuropean Studbooks for the Red-and-Blue Lory Eoshistrio, the Mount Apo Lorikeet Trichoglossusjohnstoniae, and the Red-Spectacled Amazon Amazonapretrei.

Research projects that have addressed parrotcaptive managament include studies on the pairing andbreeding behaviour of Spix’s macaws and GoldenConures Guaruba guarouba, the comparison of growthrates of hand-reared and parent-reared parrots, a studyon lory diet, a study on the husbandry of the Purple-bellied Parrot Triclaria malachitacea, and studies onthe effect of environmental enrichment on the behaviourof white cockatoos. Within the frame of the cooperationagreement with Pretty Bird Inc., we are amidstambitious research programmes aimed at increasing ourunderstanding of feather plucking, and the foodconsumption and nutritional requirements of parrotsdown to species level.

Our efforts must become even greaterAfter five successful years, the foundation has

firmly established itself in the parrot conservation

community. Some of the projects have been implementedin collaboration with internationally acclaimeduniversities, and organisations such as RARE Center,the IUCN and BirdLife International. Many areimplemented by local governmental or non-governmental organisations that tend to have a betterunderstanding of local customs and may hence be morequalified in identifying appropriate conservationstrategies.

The sale of the surplus parrots of Loro ParqueFundación contributes in two different ways toconservation: firstly, it provides a considerable portionof the funds that the foundation invests every year infield conservation programmes. Secondly, captive-bredparrots help to reduce the pressures on wild parrotpopulations that in most places are still subjected toheavy trapping for the legal and illegal bird trade. Thesale of souvenirs and the annual contributions of thecurrent 500 members of the foundation also contributestrongly to the funds available for our activities. In thiscontext, it cannot be over-emphasised that alladministration costs of the foundation, such as salariesand office overheads are covered by Loro Parque andLoro Parque Fundación for its part allows for theexhibition of at least one pair of each species of parrotfrom this largest collection in the world. The funds fromdonations are then used entirely for the parrot

Projects supported since 1994. (On-going projects are marked with an asterisk)1 Conservation of the endemic Red-necked and Imperial amazons on Dominica, Amazona arausiaca and A. imperialis (Peter Evans/Oxford University & Dominica

Forestry and Wildlife Division; 141,760 US$)2* Spix’s Macaw Cyanopsitta spixii Recovery Programme in Brazil (536,018 US$)3 Parrot Conservation on the Tanimbar Islands, Indonesia (International Loriinae Society; 5,250 US$)4 Identification of priority areas for parrot and biodiversity conservation on Halmahera, Indonesia (BirdLife International & Indonesian Directorate General of

Forest Conservation and Nature Protection; 90,052 US$)5 Conservation census of the Red-tailed Amazon, Amazona brasiliensis, in Paraná, Brazil (Pedro Scherer Neto, Museu de História Natural, Curitiba; 7,100 US$)6* Blue-throated Macaw Ara glaucogularis Conservation in Bolivia (Asociación Armonía; 62,931 US$)7 Status of the Rusty-faced Parrot Hapalopsittaca amazonina in Venezuela (Fundación Provita; 3,350 US$)8* Conservation of the Yellow-Eared Conure Ognorhynchus icterotis in Ecuador (Niels Krabbe; 56,244 US$)9 Conservation of the Red-and-Blue Lory Eos histrio on Tangihe and Salaud, Indonesia (IUCN South-East Asia; 15,500 US$)10 Wae Bula Expedition ‘96 - Moluccan Cockatoo Cacatua moluccensis population surveys on Seram, Indonesia (Cambridge University; 6,000 US$)11 Project Ortalis ‘96 - Conservation of Tumbesian parrots, Ecuador (Cambridge University; 750 US$)12 Research into a vaccine against Proventricular Dilatation Disease PDD (Bran Ritchie, University of Georgia; 50,000 US$)13* Guayaquil Macaw Ara ambigua guayaquilensis and Lilacine Amazon Amazona autumnalis lilacina Field Study & Environmental Education Programme in

Bosque Protector Cerro Blanco, Ecuador (Fundación Pro-Bosque; 50,493 US$)14* Status, ecology and conservation biology of the Black-cheeked Lovebird Agapornis nigrigenis in Zambia (Mike Perrin/Louise Warburton, Research Centre for

African Parrot Conservation; 20,000 US$)15* Phu Khieo Wildlife Sanctuary, Thailand - Biodiversity surveys, environmental education, and resource and land-use mapping (Wildlife Conservation Division,

Royal Forest Department of Thailand; 104,249 US$)16 Sozoranga Forest Project, Ecuador (Fundación Arcoiris, Cambridge University & University College London; 3,000 US$)17 Amata Bird Sanctuary, Thailand (1,000 US$)18* Ecology and distribution of the Vinaceous Amazon Amazona vinacea in Paraná, Brazil (Ligia Mieko Abe, Museu de História Natural, Curitiba; 1,200 US$)19* Conservation of the Yellow-eared Conure Ognorhynchus icterotis in Colombia (Paul Salaman, Proyecto Ognorhynchus; 25,000 US$)20* Red-vented Cockatoo Cacatua haematuropygia Conservation Programme, Philippines (Marc Boussekey/Peter Widman; 18,000 US$)21* Action Sampiri - Conservation of endangered parrot species on the Sangihe & Talaud islands, Indonesia (University of York & Universitas Sam Ratulangi/

Sulawesi; 8,000 US$)22* Kakatua Seram - Conservation of the Moluccan Cockatoo Cacatua moluccensis on Seram, Indonesia (BirdLife International & Wildlife Conservation Society;

10,500 US$)23* Environmental education programme for the Red-tailed Amazon Amazona brasiliensis in Superagüi National Park, Paraná, Brazil (Suzana Padua / Sandra Navas,

Instituto de Pesquisas Ecologicas; 24,900 US$)


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JOHN STOODLEY1926 - 1999

John Stoodley always commented that “the best way toknow life is to love many things.” The loving care he dedicated to his parrot collection, his techniquesand thoroughness were well known in aviculture.

Being recognized worldwide for his outstanding achievements in the breeding of new worldparrots, especially of the genus Pionus, he was always willing to share his experiences with us

over 25 years.It was our good fortune to have

known him, to have enjoyed hisfriendship and his guidance as amember of the advisory board of ourfoundation. His experience andadvice was of the greatest value tous.

We owe a lot to John, and with acommemorative plaque we promiseto continue to use his rich resourcesand encourage the same spirit ofdedication in everyone, so that theparrot world becomes a better placefor future generations.

The loss of a wonderful friend

conservation projects that the foundation supports.

Many of our activities would not have been possiblewithout the year-long support of our sponsors, including:Banco Bilbao Vizcaya, Pepsi-Cola, Kalise, Kodak, CompañíaCervecera de Canarias, Pretty Bird Inc., Thee Birdie Bordello,Deportes Guerra, Vereinigung für Artenschutz, Vogelhaltungund Vogelzucht (AZ) e.V., Brutgeräte Grumbach, CajaCanarias, Caja de Madrid, Nestlé, Cash & Carry, CEPSA,CITA, Coleman, Emcadisa, Imprenta Travieso, LitografiaRomero, Publicidad Atlantis, TUI, Vogelfreunde Achern,

Kanarien- und Exotenzuchtverein Forchheim, DONA,Sattva Music and Agencia Guimerá.

Since the creation of Loro Parque Fundación,the budget and the number of projects has increasedalmost yearly. Despite this, it is necessary to furtherstrengthen our efforts and multiply the resourcesavailable for parrot and biodiversity conservationprojects. It will also be one of the aims of the foundationto expand its role in the implementation of a number ofthese projects, and to ensure the resources are used inthe most effective way.o

The world�s largesopens in Lo

t penguin exhibitro Parque


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After many years of planning and research, and more than one year ofconstruction work, Loro Parque finally opened its latest and possibly mostoutstanding attraction to the public in November. PLANET PENGUIN consists oftwo exhibits, the principal one for three species of Antarctic penguins, and asecond for a subtropical penguin species, housing altogether 174 penguins.Altogether, it comprises an area of 3,900 m². The sheer size of the newpenguinarium and its exceptional design, which provide the animals with a uniqueenvironment, have found great praise among the many visitors that have alreadyseen the installation in the course of the first weeks.

The principal exhibit holds 65 KingPenguins Aptenodytes patagonicus, 46Rockhopper Penguins Eudyptes chrysocome, and40 Gentoo Penguins Pygoscelis papua, as well astwo Kelp Gulls Larus dominicanus. The 517 m²large enclosure is elliptical in form, with a similarlyshaped peninsula of 339 m² in the center that

represents the land area available to the birds. Thepeninsula has a central ridge of about two to threemeters height, and is surrounded by a total of 550m³ of water on almost all sides. Both pool and landareas are the most extensive to be found andmoulded rock and snow provide them with a near-natural environment. The large swimming area

Humboldt penguin exhibit on the left and main exhibit on the right. The acrylic cylinder.

King penguins at Loro Parque: a nestling just about to hatch and several young at a few days of age.


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permits diving and porpoising even of the largeKing penguins.

Around almost the entire oval perimeter ofthe exhibit, the water is enclosed by 65 meters ofcontinuous glass panels that form the actualviewing area. Upon entering the penguinarium, thevisitor may step onto a moving walkway that willcarry him around the entire perimeter of glasspanels. With the water level inside the exhibit atslightly below adult chest height, the visitor is ableto observe the animals both on the peninsula anddiving or swimming in the water.

The Antarctic penguins come from twosources. The larger part of the King penguincollection stem from eggs that were collected inMarch 1998 during an expedition to South Georgia.Of the 117 eggs collected for Loro Parque, 70young hatched of which 51 could be successfullyreared. It must be emphasised that the collectionof eggs was done in a manner that any impact onthe wild population was precluded: the collectingwas scheduled such that the eggs encounteredbelonged to those laid too late in the season.Research projects conducted in South Georgia haveshown that young that hatch at the end of Marchor later, that is, towards the end of the Australsummer, have no chance of surviving the oncomingwinter months. The remaining King penguins, likethe Rockhopper and Gentoo penguins, werecaptive-bred at Sea World in the USA, and broughtto Tenerife in a specially chartered plane,accompanied by a team of veterinarians andbiologists from both the receiving and the sendingorganisations.

The second exhibit, of 111 m² size,

harbours 23 Humboldt penguins Spheniscushumboldtii, which were brought in from PenscynorWildlife Park in England. Another important compleximmediately adjacent to the main building is thequarantine and hand-rearing station.

Upon entering the penguin exhibit, the visitordescends via a large spiral staircase, in the center ofwhich is installed an acrylic aquarium cylinder –with4 m diameter and 8.5 m height, the largest of its kindin the world–, which contains several thousands ofpelagic fish swirling and gliding together.

Animal managementWhile the Humboldt penguins enjoy the local

climatic conditions of the Canary Islands (which issubtropical like in their natural area of distribution),the Antarctic penguin exhibit recreates the light, airand water parameters characteristic for theenvironment from where these birds originate. Sixice machines installed above the inner roof of theexhibit produce a total of up to 12 tons of ice perday, which constantly falls in small snow flakesthrough openings in the roof, largely covering theexhibit. The air is constantly kept at temperaturesbetween -3 and +3 ºC, and the seawater –whichcames from the ocean next-door– is cooled to +10

The arrival at Tenerife of the airplane chartered for thetransport of the penguins from the USA, and the unloading ofthe birds.

Two stages of the construction works of the penguinarium, asseen from above.


ºC. Using an array of halogen, mercury and quartzlamps, the photoperiod that corresponds to that at60º latitude south was reproduced, continuouslyincreasing periods of darkness towards the wintermonths and increasing periods of light towards thesummer months. In addition, red light lamps areinstalled to simulate the morning and eveninglights, and six mirrored shafts that, depending onthe season, permit the projection of natural sunlightinto the enclosure over the daylight hours.

The machine room has one of the mostadvanced and sophisticated filtration systems in theworld. It allows a very high grade of purification,to preclude any contamination by air- orwaterborne pathogens. The air filtration is througha system of three consecutive filters of increasingefficacity: the first at 80-85 % (larger particles),the second at 93 % (small particles) and the last at

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The four penguin species in the exhibit: Rockhopper Penguin Eudyptes chrysocome, King Penguins Aptenodytes patagonicus, Gentoo PenguinPygoscelis papua and Humboldt penguins Spheniscus humboldtii.

99.95 % (microscopic particles including micro-organisms). The 3000 m³ of air of the main exhibitare replaced five times every 24 hours, andfurthermore recycled internally 14 times per hour.

The water of both exhibits is constantlyremoved from the pools through a number ofbottom drains and surface skimmers, and waterjets are installed at the sides of the pool walls toincrease the water movement and hence rate ofexchange. The 620 m³ of water are filtered in theirentirety every 30 minutes. Once taken out of thepools, the water is transferred to protein skimmers,where tiny bubbles are injected with ozone toremove the organic waste accumulated in the water.After the protein skimmer treatment, the waterpasses through a series of pressured sand filtersthat remove the larger particles, as well as toxinsthrough a bacterial nitrification process.

The energy required to secure themaintenance of the facility is provided by aphoto-voltaic system built by theTechnological Institute for RenewableEnergies in the south of Tenerife.The diet of our penguins generally consistsof capelin, herring, spratt, sperlan - fish thatis supplied and kept deep-frozen. Two daysbefore feeding the fish is taken out of thefreezer and exposed to +3-+4 ºC fordefrosting; just prior to feeding, the fish isdefrosted under running fresh water. Inaddition to fish, the penguins receive squid,shellfish and crustaceans (krill), andvitamin supplements on a regular basis.Inside the exhibits, areas have beenprovided for eventual breeding activities ofall species. For the King penguins, twozones have been prepared for egg-laying.The smaller species in the main exhibit willbe able to access the higher areas on thecentral ridge, where cavities and smallA partial view of one of the several machine rooms.


A group of King penguins in the main exhibit.

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promontories have been prepared. For theHumboldt penguins, cavities where egg-laying cantake place have been prepared.

The educational exhibitOf the 17 extant species of penguins, the

three northernmost face a serious threat in the wild,due to factors such as overfishing, habitatdestruction and guano collecting. In fact, themarine environment in the Southern Oceans, onwhich all penguins and the other animal speciesdepend, is subjected to increasing pressures fromover-exploitation of its resources. In order toconvey to the many visitors of Loro Parque theimportance of protecting the Antarctic region andthe animals that live in it, and using our birds asambassadors for their own cause, an extensivetrilingual educational exhibit has been designed andinstalled, that includes a penguin video, panels onover-exploitation of marine resources, as well asinteractive touch-screen computers withinformation about the biology of each penguinspecies and of the threats some of them face. o

One of the six 3m-high panels on resource exploitation in theSouthern Oceans.


Last chance for thePhilippine Cockatoo ?

The Philippine Cockatoo Conservation Programme has been operating on the island ofPalawan since 1992. Loro Parque Fundación started to be the principal sponsor for this projectin January 1999 - with a commitment of 18,000 US$ for a period of two years - after itentered a new, second phase a few months earlier. In a recent move away from the mainlandof Palawan, the project now focuses on the offshore Island of Rasa, a little-protected sanctuarywith a substantial local population of cockatoos, that offers ideal conditions for a last-ditcheffort to save the species from extinction in the wild. The report submitted by Project DirectorMarc Boussekey details the progress of the project in establishing ties with the community andin developing adequate strategies to protect the Philippine Cockatoo in this important area.

The endemic Philippine or Red-VentedCockatoo Cacatua haematuropygia is rapidlyapproaching the brink of extinction. Formerlyoccurring in lowland areas and mangrovesthroughout the Philippine archipelago, the specieshas suffered a dramatic decline over the last decades,with large-scale habitat loss and intense, countrywidepoaching activities being the principal factors. Thespecies is now reduced to an estimated 750-4000

individuals, with the largest remaining populations,found in the lowlands of Palawan and adjacentsmaller islands.

The transfer of the conservation efforts toRasa Island occurred after six years of work on themainland, where the project has established excellentties with the press and local government units. Infar-reaching media campaigns, the need to protectthe cockatoo was broadcasted all over the island,

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and there has been increasing awareness in the localoffices of the environmental authorities. However,the first approach to protect several cockatoo nestsfrom poaching in the area of Cabayugan – wherethe f ield activit ies where then centered –unfortunately failed; the known poachers hired forthe project in an attempt to convert them to parrotconservationists preferred to follow their ownagenda. It appears that the poaching pressure exertedfrom the many surrounding communities was toohigh, and the situation too difficult to allow theimplementation of a large-scale nest-protectionscheme.

The project is now coordinated in thePhilippines by the Ecologist Peter Widman (FieldResearch Coordinator), who has been in the countryfor many years, previously working for the GermanTechnical Cooperation Agency GTZ.

Rasa Island

Rasa is a coral island situated off the easterncoast of the island of Palawan in the south-westernPhilippines, and forms part of to the Municipalityof Narra. Depending on the tidal regime the area ofRasa Island is about 19 km². Portions affected bythe tide are stocked with an extensive belt ofmangroves. On the dry portion of coralline rocksand soils thrives a species-rich community of coastalvegetation; the latter diminishes more and more dueto illegal logging and conversion into coconutplantation.

Rasa Island probably holds the highestpopulation density of Katala (as the PhilippineCockatoo is called in Palawan) that remains in thewild, making it - although vulnerable - a high priority

area for the conservation of the cockatoo.In addition, a variety of other globallythreatened taxa are present, including twoparrots, the Blue-naped ParrotTanygnathus lucionensis and the Blue-headed Racket-tail Prioniturus platenae,which will benefit from the conservationactivities.

Since Rasa Island is not inhabitedby humans due to the lack of drinkingwater, and far easier to monitor than anysite on the mainland of Palawan, thepossibility to protect the cockatoo is alsofar greater. However, very few areasremain in the Philippines - considered oneof the three top priority countries forbiodiversity conservation in the world -where natural resources are not undertremendous pressures from exploitation

by the local populations. This is also the case withRasa Island. It turned out that almost all naturalresources of Rasa, including the cockatoo, are underconsiderable utilisation pressure. Although there areno permanent settlers, coral reefs, seagrass beds andmangroves surrounding the island are commongrounds for fishing and gleaning; some thirtyclaimants use the dry land, mainly throughconverting the natural vegetation into coconutplantation. Logging of mangroves and timber treesis also practiced, as are hunting and trapping ofwildlife.

An office and boat for the Programme

In February 1999, to firmly establish thepresence of the Philippine Cockatoo ConservationProgramme in the region, and to ease the increasedinvolvement with the Local Government Units and

Marc Boussekey with a guide near Rasa Island

Searching for the cockatoo...

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the intensive networking with the claimants, a fieldoffice was rented in the municipal town of Narra,only ten minutes away from Panacan, the point ofdeparture to Rasa Island. A pumpboat, equipped witha 16 horsepower engine and able to accommodatesix persons, was purchased for the conservationactivities of the Programme. It is meant to facilitateaccess to the island for patrolling and research, aswell as ecotourism and livelihood activities.

The Sagip Katala Movement

Since human activities are an essential factorin the effort to protect the Cockatoo on the island,two community workers, Siegfried Diaz (CommunityOrganizer) and Indira Lacerna (CommunityDevelopment Officer) have been employed sinceOctober 1998 and January 1999, respectively. Astakeholders analysis was then conducted inFebruary 1999, which emphasised that the landclaimants are the key players in a successfulimplementation of the project and should be includedin all conservation decisions. Alternative livelihoodmust be provided to the coastal village of Panacan,across the channel separating Rasa Island from thePalawan mainland, to reduce the influx of morepeople to the island. The meeting of the stakeholdersproved so successful that it resulted in the creationof the Sagip Katala Movement, which will serve as

the official carrier of the programme in the region.The Sagip Katala Movement was created as

a local conservation organisation with the aim toproclaim Rasa Island and the surrounding seas aprotected area within the coming years. The groupcomprises around 60 inhabitants of the localcommunity and received official endorsement by thelocal government and environmental authorities andNGOs of the region. Its main actions over the comingtwo years will be law enforcement, the linkaging oflivelihood and conservation, and the conduct ofinformation and education campaigns. Somemembers of the group have been named guards for

A former trapper at a cockatoo nest hole lowers down the nestlings for research purposes...

... after which they are returned to the nest.

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Rasa Island by the Department ofEnvironment and Natural Resources,which form the first-ever anti-poachingunit in the region. Furthermore, the finesimposed for the illegal trapping of thecockatoo have been raised by themunicipal government in Narra.

In exchange for reducing thepressure on the habitats on Rasa Island,the claimants will receive support to theirl ivel ihood, projects taken intoconsideration are to establish fishbreeding and hog fattening farms, as wellduck raising and bee keeping facilities.In a new attempt, ex-poachers will berecruited as guards, as they have thehighest knowledge of the cockatoo andother wildlife.

Palawan Governor attends the MOAsigning

Networking with local government units andother concerned agencies, particularly the offices ofthe environmental authority (PENRO, CENRO), isessential for the development of the project. AConsultative Meeting and Planning Workshop wasconducted in January 1999, which was attended bygovernment off icials, claimants and otherstakeholders of the island of Rasa. It was agreedduring this meeting that all stakeholders be organizedand that linkages to other cooperating agencies andauthorities be established and strengthened.Witnessed by the Governor of Palawan and theMayor of Narra, the signing of the Memorandum ofAgreement between the Philippine CockatooConservation Programme, the Municipality ofNarra, and other cooperating agencies andauthorities concerned with the protection andconservation of the Philippine Cockatoo took placeon 7 March 1999 in Brgy Panacan.

Research on the cockatoo and its habitat

Continuing research into the ecology and thebreeding biology of the cockatoo is central to identifythe most suitable strategies for its conservation inthe future. Surprisingly, many aspects of the biologyof the species still remain unknown. After initialestimates that the population would be between 30and 60 birds, recent surveys at roost sites were ableto confirm that the local population on the island iscertainly above 50, and possibly even higher -although the cockatoo is white and conspicuous, itproved difficult to assess their exact numbers.Through direct observations, nine tree species couldbe identified that are relevant for the cockatoos as afood source. The cockatoos can be found in a widerange of habitats, and are not restricted to intactmangrove or lowland dipterocarp forest habitats; oneof the important limiting factors for the speciesappears to be the lack of nesting trees. However,

Red-vented Cockatoos in a trader’s premises in the Philippines.

17

IV. International Parrot Convention Proceedings

You can still obtain one of the remaining copies of the proceed-

ings of the IV. International Parrot Convention, held in Tenerife

from 17th to 20th September 1998. The new purchase price is 30

USD (incl. shipment). Please send your order by fax, mail or e-

mail to the offices of Loro Parque Fundación.


18

In the nursery for native tree species.

The entities contributing to the nursery.

whether they are able to generally adapt to secondaryhabitats - as long as food and nesting trees areavailable - is difficult to establish: all pairs breedingin areas altered by man are subject to a considerablepoaching pressure.

Furthermore, general biodiversity surveysare being conducted to assess the conservation valueof Rasa Island. More than 100 tree species have beenrecorded in the mangrove stands and the coastalforest, and no less than 66 bird species, of whichseven are globally threatened. A charismatic seamammal found in the sea-grasses around the islandis the Dugong Dugong dugon.

Reforestation with native trees

On Rasa Island, like in many other of thefew remaining forest areas in the Philippines, treeswith larger diameters which are also potential asnesting trees for hole breeders such as the PhilippineCockatoo, are getting scarce due to illegal loggingactivities. To counter the trend on Rasa Island, anursery for native trees was established in closecooperation with the Barangay Panacan. Theclearing of the area for the nursery was done in ajoint effort under the participation of over fiftyinhabitants of the community. The aim of the nursery,which already holds about 10,000 seedlings, is two-fold. First, to rehabilitate already degraded areasand provide claimants with valuable timber speciesto enrich and in the long-term replace existingcoconut plantations with native forest trees. Andsecond, to restock already depleted stocks of treespecies which provide food and nesting holes forthe Philippine cockatoo and other wildlife.

Education activities

The project will continue with its educationalefforts encompassing the mainland ofPalawan.Information about the project isdisseminated particularly through the print media,to solicit further support and spread the messageabout the need to conserve the cockatoo. A programbrochure, stickers and a new poster were developedto introduce the aim of the project to the localinhabitants, and a booklet about cockatooconservation for school children will soon befinished. The commentary of a 1997 documentaryabout the project has been translated to the mostcommon language, Tagalog, and is being shown onPalawan as well as on other islands of the Philippines- where the cockatoo has mostly already gone extinct.

Options for the future

It is evident that the population of PhilippineCockatoos on Rasa Island will not be sufficient tosecure its long-term survival. Despite the highdensity of the species on the island, the area of 20km² is too small, and other areas need to be lookedat in the future, where the cockatoo may find suitableconditions. However the situation has reached a pointso critical that the species must be protected in anarea that is easier to control some areas before itvanishes for good in the wild - all reasons that favourthe choice of Rasa Island as the focus of theprogramme. In the medium-term, once we know moreabout the breeding requirements of the species onthe island, one of the options might be to start witha hands-on management programme to increase thebreeding output of the resident population, and useexcess offspring for re-introduction in other areasin the Philippines where the cockatoo already becameextinct, but where conservation efforts have changedthe situation such that a new population will be ableto persist. We hope that we can live to see this cometrue. o

Documents

December 1999 No. 55 Cyanopsitta - Loro Parque...Cyanopsitta No. 56 - March 2000 3 Loro Parque Fundación: 1994-1999 The first five years The founders of the Advisory Board of Loro