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rhamphotheca:

Extinction of Endangered Birds May be Avoided by Massive Tree-Planting Efforts in Peru   

by Robert Johns, ABC

Extinction of endangered birds such as the Marvelous Spatuletail, Long-whiskered Owlet, and Ochre-fronted Antpitta may be avoided thanks to conservation efforts that have resulted in over one million new trees being planted in Peru in the last nine years— and over 150,000 in 2011 alone.

Asociación Ecosistemas Andinos (ECOAN), a leading Peruvian conservation organization, has spearheaded the effort with the support of American Bird Conservancy, the leading bird conservation organization in the United States.

In one effort, started in mid-2011, over 50,000 native trees and shrubs from 21 different species were planted on degraded lands within two prized Andean reserves, the Abra Patricia-Alto Nieva Private Conservation Area and Huembo Conservation Easement.  As the trees grow, they will provide habitat for a spectacular, endangered hummingbird called the Marvelous Spatuletail, as well as many migratory birds. The trees will also create a buffer zone around adjacent, existing forests, making more of their high-quality habitat usable for other endangered birds such as the Ochre-fronted Antpitta and Long-whiskered Owlet. One day, we hope these new trees will themselves be inhabited by these threatened species…

(read more: American Bird Conservancy)

(photos: TL - David Cook, TR - unknown source, B - Dubi Shapiro)