Government Partners
The Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation is a Federal special service. Created August 28, 2007, by Law 11,516, ICMBio is under the Ministry of Environment and a member of the National Environmental System (Sisnama).
ICMBio is entrusted to perform the actions of the National System of Conservation Units and served to propose, implement, manage, protect, enforce and monitor protected areas established by the Federal Government. ICMBio is the Federal service directed to promote and implement research programs; protection, preservation and conservation of biodiversity; and exercise the power of environmental police for the protection of federal conservation units.
Together with the Action Plan, Projeto Ararinha na Natureza (The Spix’s Macaw in the Wild Project) was established in 2012 by ICMBio as a part of the Action Plan. It is coordinated by The National Center for Bird Conservation and Research (CEMAVE) from ICMBio. The actions of the Project are being performed by the holders (Al Wabra Wildlife Preservation, Association for the Conservation of Threatened Parrots, Fazenda Cachoeira), Parrots International, other non-governmental organizations (SAVE Brasil) and other governmental institutions (Universidade de São Paulo). This Project authorized and reviewed by the Brazilian Ministry of Environment ICMBio.
The majority (79%) of the actions elaborated in the Action Plan for the Spix’s Macaw relate to captive population management, which is well implemented with 20 young Spix’s Macaws hatched in 2015 alone. Additionally, the majority of actions (62.5%) relate to the development of scientific knowledge required for reintroduction. The challenging objectives are: to strengthen partnerships and awareness for conservation; to protect and recover critical habitats; and to start experimental releases before 2017. Efforts to protect and improve habitat, and ensure protection from poachers will be addressed by the Brazilian Government by the creation of an official Protected Area encompassing the habitat of the Spix’s Macaw. Additionally, the Brazilian Government will provide federal and local wildlife protection for the Spix’s Macaw.
Funds to perform experimental releases are urgently needed to enable to establish the program of Spix’s macaw release in the wild. The Projeto Ararinha na Natureza (Spix’s Macaw in the Wild Project) is a part of the overall plan and is focused on the protection and restoration of the historical habitat, environmental education, and evaluation of performance of the breeding and reintroduction program. This separate program is funded from within Brazil.
GOAL
The Action Plan for the Conservation of Spix’s macaw has the goal to increase the managed captive population and the recovery the historical habitat of occurrence of species, aiming to start reintroductions by 2018.