The endemic and critically endangered Lilacine Amazon (Amazona lilacina) population is estimated around 1,500 - 2,000 individuals and distributed over six core areas in dry-forest remnants along the Ecuadorian coastline. The primary threats to the Lilacine Amazon are the combination of habitat destruction and illegal pet trade trafficking.
Uncovering the nesting ecology of a critically endangered Ecuadorian parrot
Fundación de Conservación Jocotoco
In 1998 Fundación de Conservación Jocotoco was created, an Ecuadorian non-governmental organisation that works to protect areas of critical importance for the conservation of threatened species in Ecuador.
This is achieved by acquiring and managing land as biological reserves and, to date, a network of 16 reserves totaling 24,500 hectares has been established.
In 2020 Jocotoco created its fifteenth private reserve in Las Balsas within the Santa Elena province. The creation and design of the reserve was based on the results of their monitoring study, which revealed the location of the most important roosting sites for the Lilacine Amazon.
To date, a total of 85 hectares of carob forests used by the species as roosting sites are currently protected and managed by Jocotoco. In the next phase of conservation work, Auckland Zoo Conservation Fund will support the study of the Lilacine's movement and breeding ecology, to determine the location of the most important nesting sites to inform future reserve expansion and conservation actions in this region.
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