A scarlet macaw is basically prized for its colorful scarlet plumage and characteristic long
graduated tail. They find their origin essentially in the subtropical rain forests and savannas. Earlier, they were found abundantly in Costa Rica as well. However, their numbers have shown a steady decline due to a plethora of the factors such as the destruction of habitat by deforestation, poaching, hunting and indiscriminate pesticide spraying by the cultivators of banana.By the 1990's, the viable population of the scarlet macaws (limited to the Carara Biological Reserve and Peninsula de Osa; two regions on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica) exhibited only a meager twenty per cent share of their earlier historic presence. It is a CITES 1 listed species that prevents anyone from illegally taking it. With an average life span of thirty to fifty years, scarlet macaws are intelligent, considered affectionate to their owners and thus are highly popular as pets. Since they fetch lucrative price, the poachers have a network to smuggle them to US or Canada and many die on the route due to the resulting stress.
The diet of scarlet macaws contains the long and hard seeds to fruits like apples and bananas. In Costa Rica, Edward R. Mercer has taken appropriate steps not only to post the guards on one of the islands to stop illegal poaching but his real estate company took the initiative of planting over
5,000 almond trees. The trees, in turn, provide a great source of food to the local population of the scarlet macaws. Slowly over the decades, not only the population count of the scarlet macaws increased significantly, but also the other species of the birds were also attracted to the planted trees thus enriching the biodiversity in Costa Rica.Ed Mercer was inducted recently in the Environmental Hall of Fame in Los Angeles, USA for his pioneering work to save the scarlet macaws in Costa Rica. He considers the laying down of "Edward R. Mercer Foundation" as his greatest achievement, a foundation dedicated to the conservation of ecology in Costa Rica.
By Sanjay Soni
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/
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