The Ara Project
Encyclopedia
The Ara Project is a non-profit organization and licensed zoological park (formerly known as Amigos de las Aves) based in Costa Rica
.
species of Costa Rica
: the Great Green Macaw
(Ara ambiguus) and the Scarlet Macaw
(Ara macao).
The Ara Project incorporates breeding techniques and aviary management in order to carry out controlled release programs in conjunction with Costa Rican wildlife laws imposed by MINAET
. The Ara Project has released a total of 80 Scarlet Macaw
s on its release sites. The Ara Project aims to start a Great Green Macaw
reintroduction
program in 2011. This will be Costa Rica
's and the world's first official reintroduction of the species.
couple Margot and Richard Frisius started a licensed zoological park to take care of parrots confiscated by the government or disowned by private owners. In 1992 they officially started a breeding program to participate in macaw conservation, resulting in the establishment of the non-profit organization formerly known as "Amigos de las Aves" (Friends of the Birds). Over the years they created what has become the biggest collection of Great Green Macaws in captivity and, upon acquiring a breeding stock of sufficient genetic diversity, a successful Scarlet Macaw reintroduction program.
In 2008 Margot Frisius died and the Frisius family decided to guarantee the continuation of the program by handing over the organization to the trust fund known since 2009 as "The Ara Project". The Ara Project has a new approach to the conservation of macaws, while respecting the vision of the Frisiuses and maintaining their successful techniques based on years of experience of breeding and releasing macaws.
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
.
Mission
The Ara Project‘s goal is the conservation of the two native macawMacaw
Macaws are small to large, often colourful New World parrots. Of the many different Psittacidae genera, six are classified as macaws: Ara, Anodorhynchus, Cyanopsitta, Primolius, Orthopsittaca, and Diopsittaca...
species of Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
: the Great Green Macaw
Great Green Macaw
The Great Green Macaw, Ara ambiguus, also known as Buffon's Macaw or the Great Military Macaw, is a Central and South American parrot found in Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia and Ecuador. Two allopatric subspecies are recognized, the nominate subspecies is found in Central America...
(Ara ambiguus) and the Scarlet Macaw
Scarlet Macaw
The Scarlet Macaw is a large, colorful macaw. It is native to humid evergreen forests in the American tropics. Range extends from extreme south-eastern Mexico to Amazonian Peru, Bolivia and Brazil in lowlands up to up to...
(Ara macao).
The Ara Project incorporates breeding techniques and aviary management in order to carry out controlled release programs in conjunction with Costa Rican wildlife laws imposed by MINAET
MINAE
MINAE, the Ministry of Environment and Energy or in Spanish , is part of the government of Costa Rica.-Agencies:*SINAC - National System of Conservation Areas*DGGM - Geology and Mining General Directorate...
. The Ara Project has released a total of 80 Scarlet Macaw
Scarlet Macaw
The Scarlet Macaw is a large, colorful macaw. It is native to humid evergreen forests in the American tropics. Range extends from extreme south-eastern Mexico to Amazonian Peru, Bolivia and Brazil in lowlands up to up to...
s on its release sites. The Ara Project aims to start a Great Green Macaw
Great Green Macaw
The Great Green Macaw, Ara ambiguus, also known as Buffon's Macaw or the Great Military Macaw, is a Central and South American parrot found in Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia and Ecuador. Two allopatric subspecies are recognized, the nominate subspecies is found in Central America...
reintroduction
Reintroduction
Reintroduction is the deliberate release of a species into the wild in zones formerly inhabited by said species but where it has disappeared from for a number of reasons, from captivity or relocated from other areas where the species still survives in...
program in 2011. This will be Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
's and the world's first official reintroduction of the species.
History
In the 80's retired American expatExpatriate
An expatriate is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country and culture other than that of the person's upbringing...
couple Margot and Richard Frisius started a licensed zoological park to take care of parrots confiscated by the government or disowned by private owners. In 1992 they officially started a breeding program to participate in macaw conservation, resulting in the establishment of the non-profit organization formerly known as "Amigos de las Aves" (Friends of the Birds). Over the years they created what has become the biggest collection of Great Green Macaws in captivity and, upon acquiring a breeding stock of sufficient genetic diversity, a successful Scarlet Macaw reintroduction program.
In 2008 Margot Frisius died and the Frisius family decided to guarantee the continuation of the program by handing over the organization to the trust fund known since 2009 as "The Ara Project". The Ara Project has a new approach to the conservation of macaws, while respecting the vision of the Frisiuses and maintaining their successful techniques based on years of experience of breeding and releasing macaws.