MONITORING
OF KEY
SPECIES
WHY MONITOR SPECIES
In nature, all species are important. There are some that, due to their interactions with other species or some particular characteristic, play a key role within ecosystems. For example, top predators such as the Mountain Lion, the Jaguar or the Black Hawk-Eagle (species that live in the Sierra de Vallejo) are considered key species, since protecting them also protects other species and their habitat. Key species can be animals, trees, fungi, etc.
Other examples of key species in the Sierra de Vallejo are the Military Macaw (Ara militaris), the Lilac-crowned Parrot (Amazona finschi) and the tree and plant species they feed on, such as the Habillo tree(Hura polyandra). Both the Military Macaw and the Lilac-crowned Parrot are classified as endangered species by Mexican laws, with reduced populations, subject to illegal trafficking and affected by the loss and modification of their habitat. They are also extremely beautiful and charismatic species, intelligent and social, that fly great distances and act as seed dispersers for some of the tree species on which they feed. They are also species with tourist potential, as avian tourism can be carried out around them, something that in fact already happens in other areas of the country, such as Bahía de Banderas in Jalisco, adjacent to the Sierra de Vallejo.
(c) James M. Maley
For all of the above, we are developing a scientific and community monitoring program for Military Macaws and Lilac-crowned Parrots to know in detail the populations of the Sierra de Vallejo and its area of ​​influence. The information generated will serve as a basis for the proposal of conservation strategies, and the design and management of possible avian tourism projects.
