Grant Awarded for continuing research on endangered and threatened birds of Argentina's Atlantic Forest

Birds on the Brink is proud to have awarded a grant to Martjan Lammertink from Argentina’s Instituto de Biología Subtropical. The funds will allow Martjan to continue his research, which in turn will lead to the allocation of new protection and forest-restoration areas.

***Martjan Lammertink in the field. Photo© Martjan Lammertink***

The interior Atlantic Forest of South America is a biodiversity hotspot with a concentration of globally threatened bird species and a high deforestation rate. Forest loss has been particularly severe in eastern Paraguay and southern Brazil, whereas the province of Misiones in northeastern Argentina maintains 45% of its original Atlantic Forest. Roughly half of this forest lies in protected areas that previously had been subject to a range of selective logging histories.

Martjan commented: ‘The grant we received from Birds on the Brink will support surveys in the final four years of the project, bringing the total to 40 survey sites, each of which is surveyed for 5 days. They are spaced more than 11 km apart.’

***Black-fronted Piping-guan. Photo© Martjan Lammertink***

The surveys are primarily for Black-fronted Piping-guan and Vinaceous Amazon (both Endangered), Sickle-winged Nightjar, Helmeted Woodpecker, White-bearded Antshrike and Sharp-tailed Tyrant (all Vulnerable) and ten near-threatened bird species.

***Helmeted Woodpecker. Photo© Martjan Lammertink***

The surveys are undertaken by field work and by using autonomous recorders, and extend over a period of 11 weeks in late winter when there is peak vocalization activity. All the target species have been found and the project has identified marked regional differences in the presence and abundance of focal threatened species; and noted important gaps in the current protected areas network. The project’s data and information will inform the allocation of new protection and forest-restoration areas.