The Trinidad Piping Guan (pipile pipile, aburria pipile), known in Trinidad as the Pawi, is that island’s only endemic bird. It is also critically endangered. In July a workshop was held to formulate strategies for the conservation of this rare bird:
Cracids are the most endangered family of terrestrial birds in the Neotropics, with a third of species threatened with extinction according to BirdLife on behalf of the IUCN Red List criteria. Of these, three are Critically Endangered with the Trinidad Piping-guan believed to have the smallest population and range size of all extant cracids.
…
Today, [the Pawi] remains in just a small number of locations, mainly in the Northern Range mountains, in what is the easternmost extent of the South American Andes. Although it is very likely that small populations still exist further south in the Trinity Hills, there are no recent confirmed reports. However, the information was considered sufficient to designate the Important Bird Area of Victoria-Mayaro Forest Reserve in the south in an attempt to further conservation efforts in the area.
…
In order to evaluate current threats to the species and possible actions to overcome them, a workshop was convened by the Pawi Study Group in July 2010 at the Caroni Swamp visitor’s centre in Trinidad. Many different stakeholders interested in the conservation of the Pawi attended, including the Trinidad and Tobago Forestry Division, Environmental Management Agency, Guardian Life Wildlife Trust, Emperor Valley Zoo, Hunting Associations and local NGOs, among others. The workshop was facilitated by the Caribbean Natural Resources Institute and supported by the World Pheasant Association and BirdLife International. The workshop began by sharing research findings on the Pawi, including aspects such as its present distribution, ecology and threats. The participants then went on to define a vision for the Pawi’s conservation plan, as well as separate goals, objectives and activities, before pulling these together into concrete ideas for projects to address the threats identified.
See birdlife.org for further details about the workshop and its outcomes. Learn more about the Pawi from BirdLife, the World Pheasant Association, and ARKive.
[Photo: Perry Quan]
