May 16, 2021
Chestnut Woodpecker in Allpahuayo-Mishsana National Reserve, Peru.
IBCP’s Nico Arcilla joined other researchers at the 12th Peruvian Ornithology Congress on May 24th, 2021, to present her collaborative work on birds in the Allpahuayo-Mishana National Reserve (AMNR) in the northern Peruvian Amazon. A protected area with rare white-sand forests, AMNR was established in 1999 following the discovery of multiple new bird species to science within what are now its borders. Despite its protected status, extractive activities such as illegal logging and illegal mining still take place within the reserve and are the subject of law enforcement operations. To examine the effects of past legal and illegal logging operations on white-sand forest understory bird communities, Nico and colleagues used mist nets to capture, count, and release 348 birds representing 54 species in logged and unlogged forests within the reserve. The results of this research show that bird species richness and canopy cover were significantly higher in unlogged forest.
White-chested Puffbird in Allpahuayo-Mishsana National Reserve, Peru
Ten years after logging, bird species richness remained ~50% lower and tree canopy cover remained ~75% lower compared to unlogged forest. Due to extremely slow recovery times of Amazonian white-sand forests from logging damage, logging may pose long-term threats to AMNR and other protected areas. We hope that controlling logging in the AMNR will remain a priority for the Peruvian National Police and Peruvian National Service for Protected Areas to prevent they loss of the biodiversity it was designed to protect. Our findings contribute to our knowledge of poorly known Amazonian bird species as well as Neotropical migratory birds wintering in Peru, and demonstrate the importance of protected areas in their conservation. Amigos de Allpahuayo-Mishana, a Peruvian conservation organization, and several international conservation organizations have also assisted in protecting AMNR and its unique forests and birds.
Bright-rumped Attila in Allpahuayo-Mishsana National Reserve, Peru.
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