When a large reserve is not large enough to protect part of a population: Blue-and-yellow Macaws (Ara ararauna) in central Brazil

This study aimed to examine movements of the Blue-and-yellow Macaw (Ara ararauna) across boundaries between the Parque Nacional das Emas and adjacent agricultural landscapes, in central Brazil. Two study sites were selected for observations conducted in October 2006 and February 2007. Groups of macaws were observed resource use by these birds in the surrounding matrix. These observations suggest that conservation of part of the population of A. ararauna found at Emas National Park will require the expansion of this reserve and/or conservation actions by landowners in its surroundings.

The creation, protection and management of reserves is essential to the conservation of natural resources around the world (Caughley and Gunn, 1996;IUCN, 2003).Thus, the selection of priority areas for the establishment of reserves has occurred on all continents (Margules et al., 1988;Myers et al., 2000;Chan et al., 2004).The role of reserves in the conservation RI UHJLRQDO ELRGLYHUVLW\ FDQ EH LQÀXHQFHG E\ VHYHUDO D. P. Tubelis factors, such as their sizes (Lindenmayer and Franklin, 2002;Primack, 2008).Thus, conservation plans often suggest that reserves should be as large as possible (Peres and Terborgh, 1995;Laurance, 2005).,Q %UD]LO D ZRUNVKRS KDV LGHQWL¿HG SULRULW\ DUHDV and actions for biodiversity conservation in the Cerrado, the vegetation province that dominates central South America (Cavalcanti, 1999;Cavalcanti and Joly, 2002).Among major recommendations were the creation of large reserves and the expansion of some conservation units already established.Despite broad agreement RQ WKH EHQH¿WV RI HQODUJLQJ WKH VL]H RI UHVHUYHV LQ WKH Cerrado (Cavalcanti, 1999), research on the values, advantages and needs of expansion of conservation units is lacking.
Even with the creation of huge (>500,000ha) reserves during the 2000s (see Braz, 2003), the Parque Nacional das Emas is still one of the most extensive conservation units in the Cerrado (Silveira et al., 1999;Ramos-Neto and Pivello, 2000;França et al., 2007).Its current 132,000ha harbor a diverse range of native wildlife, including more than 300 bird species (Redford, 1985;Rodrigues et al., 2002;Braz, 2003;Batalha and Martins, 2007).Among outstanding aspects related to ELUGV ZLWKLQ WKLV SDUN DUH IUHTXHQW ÀLJKWV RI SVLWDFLG ÀRFNV WKURXJK WKH PRVDLFV RI QDWLYH SK\VLRJQRPLHV (personal communication) and across boundaries between the protected vegetation and the adjacent agricultural landscapes.For example, Blue-and-yellow Macaws (Ara ararauna KDYH EHHQ REVHUYHG À\LQJ out of this reserve to forage in adjacent post-harvested VR\EHDQ ¿HOGV 0DUVGHQ DQG :ULJKW 'HVSLWH WKH fact of being common, bird movements from reserves into adjacent productive landscapes have not been systematically investigated.
This study aimed to examine movements of A. ararauna across boundaries between Parque Nacional das Emas and adjacent agricultural landscapes.Results were discussed regarding the need of conservation actions around nature reserves in the Cerrado and other regions.
Field work was conducted along edges of Parque Nacional das Emas, a 132,000ha reserve in southwestern Goias state, central Brazil.Elevations range from 720m WR P DQG PRVW RI WKH SDUN FRQVLVWV RI ÀDW WDEOHODQG covered by grasslands and open woodlands ( Ramos-Neto and Pivello, 2000;França et al., 2007).This park also harbors physiognomies such as riparian forests and wet grasslands with Mauritia palm trees (veredas).Fires are of common occurrence and can be natural or humaninduced (Ramos-Neto and Pivello, 2000;França et al., 2007).Climate is strongly seasonal and marked by well GH¿QHG ZHW DQG GU\ VHDVRQV $VVDG ZLWK PRVW of the annual precipitation (1,200 to 2,000mm) falling between October and March.The dry season occurs between May and September.Temperatures range from 0 o C in July to 40 o C in February (Assad, 1994).This reserve protects the headwaters of some hydrographic basins such as those of the Jacuba and Formoso rivers, and it is mostly surrounded by pastures and agricultural ¿HOGV ZLWK VR\EHDQ FRWWRQ DQG FRUQ )UDQoD HW DO Further information on the environment in the Cerrado region can be found in Oliveira and Marquis (2002).
Observations were carried out at two study sites located in the northwestern portion of Parque Nacional das Emas (Figure 1).They were boundaries between protected native vegetation and adjacent agricultural ¿HOGV $W 6LWH PDFDZV ZHUH FRXQWHG GXULQJ ODWH afternoons (17:00 -18:00h) on eight days between 1 and 12 October 2006.I counted macaws from a paved road that bordered the park.Sampling at Site 2 occurred during early mornings (07:30 -08:30h) on 12 days between 3 and 28 February 2007.At this site, I counted macaws from protected grasslands 100m to 700m from the park limits.2Q D JLYHQ PRUQLQJ RU DIWHUQRRQ DOO PDFDZV À\LQJ out of the park were counted during a 40min sampling SHULRG $V WKH\ XVXDOO\ ÀHZ RYHU P DERYH WKH JURXQG WKH\ FRXOG EH HDVLO\ GHWHFWHG 0DFDZV À\LQJ within a distance of 400m on both sides of me were FRXQWHG 7KH ÀDW WHUUDLQ DURXQG WKH WZR VWXG\ VLWHV DQG WKURXJK WKH DGMDFHQW FXOWLYDWHG ¿HOGV SHUPLWWHG the observation of macaws from great distances (near 1-2km), allowing me to discern the directions of movements.Thus, macaw records in this study represent long-distance movements across the reserve-plantation boundaries.Movements detected during afternoons suggest that numerous macaws leave Parque Nacional das Emas some minutes prior to sunset on a daily basis in October, after their nesting period.Thus, the roosting sites of several breeding pairs and young are located beyond H[WHQVLYH DUHDV RI FXOWLYDWHG ¿HOGV DGMDFHQW WR WKH SDUN DOWKRXJK WKH\ FRXOG QRW EH LGHQWL¿HG 3UREDEO\ PDFDZV ÀHZ WR UHPQDQWV RI veredas, their major nesting, foraging and roosting sites (del Hoyo et al., 1997;Bianchi, 1998), located within private properties at more than 3km from this reserve.On two occasions in December 2008, I visited vereda remnants on two properties 4km from the park boundaries and found several macaws coming from the direction of Parque Nacional das Emas late in the afternoons.
The records of movements during mornings in February suggests that some macaws that roost within Parque Nacional das Emas leave its protected areas to forage in non-protected landscapes, as some veredas located on private land are probably important foraging sites.Other landscape elements such as cerradão forests, grasslands and frequently burned woodlands also provide food resources for macaws (Juniper and Parr, 1998;Ragusa-Netto, 2006;Tubelis, 2009aTubelis, , 2009b) ) and might attract them to non-protected landscapes around this reserve.In this region, food resources such as dry fruits attract numerous macaws to particular patches or remnants ( Ragusa-Netto, 2006;Tubelis, 2009a).My records are different from those obtained by Marsden and D. P. Tubelis :ULJKW LQ VR\EHDQ ¿HOGV DGMDFHQW WR WKH 3DUTXH 1DFLRQDO GDV (PDV :KLOH , UHFRUGHG QR PDFDZV ODQGLQJ on bare ground or on young or mature plantations, some foraging macaw aggregations were recorded in post-KDUYHVWHG VR\EHDQ ¿HOGV LQ $XJXVW E\ 0DUVGHQ DQG :ULJKW 0DFDZV UHFRUGHG E\ WKHP FDPH IURP the park and elsewhere.
Movements recorded in my study suggest that the home ranges of numerous A. ararauna found at Parque Nacional das Emas include native remnants in the surrounding non-protected landscapes.As a consequence, their survival in this Cerrado reserve will require conservation efforts outside its limits as well.This concern could also be directed to other parrot species.This is because numerous groups of the Redshouldered Macaw Diopsittaca nobilis, the Yellowfaced Amazon Alipiopsitta xanthops, the Blue-fronted Amazon Amazona aestiva and the Orange-winged Amazon Amazona amazonica ZHUH DOVR VHHQ À\LQJ towards non-protected landscapes during the 2007 sampling.
/RQJGLVWDQFH ÀLJKWV KDYH EHHQ GHWHFWHG IRU VRPH macaw species in the Neotropical region.For example, groups of the Hyacinth Macaw Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus À\ WKURXJK H[WHQVLYH DUHDV GDLO\ in the Brazilian Pantanal wetland (Guedes and Harper, 1995;Guedes, 2004).Flocks of the Lear' Macaw Anodorhynchus leari À\ QHDU NP RQ D GDLO\ basis between protected roosting areas and foraging sites in northeastern Brazil (Ibama, 2006).In the Atlantic Forest of south-eastern Brazil, some parrot species often move across boundaries between forest reserves and adjacent countryside (Marsden et al., 2000).In this Brazilian region, some macaws might use several forest fragments in addition to the major forest reserve (Evans et al., 2005;Nunes and Galetti, 2007).In the %UD]LOLDQ )HGHUDO 'LVWULFW ÀRFNV RI WKH 5HGEHOOLHG Macaw Orthopsittaca manilata often leave nature reserves, sometimes to move to adjacent conservation units (personal communication).
Long-distance movements observed in these studies involved relatively small conservation units (<30,000ha).In contrast, my study highlights the fact that even big reserves might not be large enough to encompass the full range of requirements of several individuals of certain species, such as A. ararauna.Although some macaws might be able to survive exclusively within Parque Nacional das Emas, my VWXG\ VXJJHVWV WKDW WKLV ODUJH UHVHUYH LV QRW VXI¿FLHQW for the protection of numerous individuals.Detailed studies of home ranges, demography and reproduction inside and outside Parque Nacional das Emas would be necessary to elucidate effects on A. ararauna regarding their movements over boundaries between protected and agricultural landscapes.
Reserve systems are not enough for the conservation of diverse ecological processes and regional species diversity, as reserves occupy only a small portion of ecosystems (Caughley and Gunn, 1996;Lindenmayer and Franklin, 2002).Thus, conservation efforts are necessary outside the reserve systems (Saunders et al., 1993;Hale and Lamb, 1997;Craig et al., 2000).My study suggests that even extensive reserves might require conservation efforts in their surroundings to better protect their biodiversity.In the case of the surroundings of Parque Nacional das Emas, conservation actions should ensure adequate protection of roosting and feeding sites of A. ararauna and other parrot species, particularly on private properties.Landowners could be educated or guided to protect these species by avoiding illegal capture and disturbances of their roosting and feeding VLWHV $OVR WKH\ FRXOG UHFHLYH VXSHUYLVLRQ DQG EHQH¿WV from governmental or non-governmental organizations to protect parrots and other wildlife on their land.Studies on home ranges would bring information on the extension of non-protected landscapes occupied by macaws found in Parque Nacional das Emas.