Many of North America’s migratory birds have gone to Central and South America, and many birders will take airline flights to follow. But where to land? Panama, Ecuador, or farther south to biodiverse Peru?
By Rex Graham
Peru has Machu Picchu, big parrots, showy hummingbirds, Andean Condors and the aptly named Andean Cock-of-the-Rock. A study found that the potential for more bird-based tourism in Peru could be a potent, practical incentive to protect endangered birds and the threatened habitats they need.
“We see the strength of bird-based tourism as providing an extra argument for conservation,” wrote University of Turku biologist Liisa Puhakka and two of his Finnish colleagues in PLoS ONE. Their study described bird-based tourism as a sustainable conservation opportunity and economic boost to local Peruvian citizens. The study in the online science journal has been viewed more than 5,170 times since its publication on November 2011.
Areas of high potential for conservation in Peru through bird watching tourism are color-coded, with shades of gray having lower potential, red is high and purple is highest. A is the Iquitos area; B is the northern Andes and Marañón area; and C is the Lima and Junín area to Cusco and madre de Dios. Important Bird Areas are the vertical-green-dashed areas. The larger circles and elipses are areas of greatest potential for conservation through bird watching tourism. (PLoS ONE)
Birding Ecotour boom
Birding tour companies are intrigued because the study revealed an unseen opportunity: a geographic gap between tour itineraries and bird-rich hotspots off the beaten path. Birding Ecotours is one of several companies that has added northern Peru tours to see endemic birds like the Long-whiskered Owlet, Marvellous Spatuletail and other endangered birds on its target list on tours to northern Ecuador.
The Finnish biologists arrived at their conclusions in a first-of-its-kind spatial analysis of bird species’ distributions, maps of Peru’s network of conservation areas and the country’s Important Bird Area (IBA) network, a survey of bird watchers’ wish list of birds, and current itineraries of Peruvian tour companies specializing in bird watching.
Hot Spots of Potential
What emerged, as if by magic, were red-zones of high ecotourism potential: places in Peru where bird watchers would most want to go if tours were available — in species-rich areas in need of conservation and protection. declining.
Top-13 ‘Hope-to-see’ Peruvian birds
As part of the survey, the Finnish researchers asked birders to name Peruvian bird species they most wanted to see. An online survey was emailed in 2009 to three email lists: Birdingperu, Incaspiza and Neobird. Of the 47 survey respondents, several said large parrots or hummingbirds were prized. These were the top “Hope-to-see” species of Peruvian birds specifically named:
Marvelous Spatuletail (Max Waugh)
Marvellous Spatuletail. This endangered white, green, bronze beautiful hummingbird with a stunning turquoise gorget lives only in the Rio Utcubamga region of Peru.
Long-whiskered Owlet (Alan van Normal)
Long-whiskered Owlet. This is one of the rarest owls in the world due to deforestation. There are no more than 1,500 individuals left.
Scarlet-banded Barbet. This species was discovered in 1996. It is endemic in Cordillera Azul National Park in Loreto, Peru.
Harpy Eagle photographed at Parque Nacional Soberania, Panama. (MDF)
Harpy Eagle. Hunting and habitat loss are blamed for this majestic eagle’s rapid decline. It prefers uninterrupted lowland tropical forest.
Andean Cock-of-the-Rock (Pablo Cervantes)
Andean Cock-of-the-Rock. The national bird of Peru, males have a large, disc-like crest of scarlet or orange feathers. Males congregate and display in a competition to attract females.
Golden-backed Mountain-tanager. This inhabitant of elfin forests is endangered. Grazing and fires inhibit regeneration of the trees. It is declining in Abiseo National Park.
Junín Grebe. This bird is a great swimmer and diver, but flightless, and it lives in only one lake in the Andes. The grebe’s population is declining.
Andean Condor, one of the world’s largest flying birds with shiny black feathers and a white neck ruff.
White-winged Guan (Victor Miguel Ponce, SDSU)
White-winged Guan. This species is listed as critically endangered by BirdLife International due to its small population and fragmented distribution.
Humboldt Penguin (Frank Wouters)
Humbolt Penguin.This penguin is threatened by over-fishing and climate change. It breeds along the coast of Peru and Chile, swimming in the cold Humbolt current.
Pale-billed Antpitta (Alex Durand)
Pale-billed Antpitta. It prefers dense bamboo and has been hurt by deforestation and timber extraction in the north-central Andes of Peru.
Peruvian Recurvebill (Dan Lebbin, Cornell Univ.)
Peruvian Recurvebill. The species is scarce with small fragmented populations. It is found in Manu National Park and Biosphere Reserve and the Tambopata-Candamo Reserved Zone.
Titicaca Grebe (Ryan O’Donnell)
Titicaca Grebe. The main population of this flightless grebe is Lake Titicaca and a few other connecting lakes in Peru and Boliva.
Peru’s ecotourism strengths
Peru’s ecotourism strengths were: the rich nature, total number of bird species, many endemic species, habitat diversity, good tourism infrastructure and services, ease of access to birding sites (in certain areas), and combining bird watching with visits to cultural and archaeological attractions.
And weaknesses
Peru’s tourism weaknesses listed by the survey respondents were: tourism infrastructure and services, poor roads or transportation, lack of accommodation, crime and corruption and health concerns, such as food poisoning and tropical diseases. Some also mentioned habitat loss and poverty of the growing Peruvian population, which made way for agriculture and mining.
Birders also wanted more local bird guides to be involved in their birding tours.
Tour company itineraries
Currently, the rainforest near Cusco and Madre de Dios are the prime destinations of birding tour companies, but the regions of highest potential are in less established areas.
The study concluded that the greatest potential for bird-based tourism is in Peru’s central and northern Andes. “In this area there are several wholly or partially unprotected IBAs where bird species such as Marvellous Spatuletail, Andean Cock-of-the-rock, White-winged Guan and Andean Condor are an important attraction for bird-based tourism.”
The study authors said those areas “are located in relatively well accessible regions, with five or less hours of travel time to major cities.”
Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu is Peru’s most important tourism area, yet a nearby IBA with Peru’s highest concentration of endemic birds and birds of conservation concern is mostly unprotected, according to the PLoS study.
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